Tourism competitiveness and social progress: A systematic literature review

This article aims to analyze the scientific production of tourism competitiveness and social progress. We used the sequential mixed methods approach for the systematic literature review in two steps. The first stage corresponds to a meta-analysis of 143 variables related to the social aspects of tourism competitiveness presented in 34 quantitative studies in the area published between 1999 and May 2022. The second stage is a content analysis of the following structures: the title, abstract, and definitions of social progress found in 44 articles in the field published between 1991 and May 2022. The results contribute to the literature on both topics by a) displaying that there is a positive and significant relationship between residents’ well-being indicators and tourism competitiveness, b) identifying its dimensions and concepts in the literature on social progress, and c) approximation of the literature on tourism competitiveness with the literature on social progress. The results provided a framework to meet the concept and ultimate objective of competitiveness: social progress.