Tourism routes development: critical success factors

Purpose - This study aims to identify Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for tourism route development and proposes a tailored conceptual model. It addresses a comprehensive range of tourism routes, considering their respective goals and performance. Design/methodology/approach - The authors applied a qualitative approach to investigate five tourism routes, interviewing 31 current and former members and examining secondary data from organisational documents. A conceptual model was developed through content analysis of transcripts and secondary data. Findings - Based on the identified CSFs, the model is organised into six components: Product, Goals, Resources, Governance, Activities and Performance assessment. Research limitations/implications - The study analyses various tourism routes concerning their products, implementation levels, goals, performance and perceived success. Practical implications - Most respondents are public authorities from European countries. Besides, consideration should be given to developing quantitative research to validate the derived theory. Social implications - The model may facilitate participants in enhancing and developing tourism routes, thereby contributing to achieving sustainable development goals related to rural-urban connections and tourism partnerships. Originality/value - The development of tourism routes is expected to impact socio-economic development in rural/peripheral areas positively.