Conventional wisdom paints a picture of the tourism industries as made up of many small and medium enterprises with no strategic behaviour. The reality, however, is different: in addition to these small and medium enterprises a powerful oligopoly of service providers and intermediaries has emerged, employing sophisticated techniques of corporate rivalry to enhance their position and exercise market power. "Corporate Rivalry and Market Power" is the first work to investigate this reality and to provide an integrated perspective on competition issues in tourism.
The work begins with an overview of the main principles and issues in competition analysis. Corporate rivalry in the areas of transport for tourism, the accommodation sector and travel distribution are then examined, drawing examples and case studies from the international arena. Among the studies included are corporate rivalry and competition in the airline industry, the impact of information technology on tourism competition, the travel distribution system in the US retail sector and competition in visitor attractions and holiday parks. Finally, emerging problems and the measures required to alleviate them are discussed. With contributors drawn from leading experts in the field, "Corporate Rivalry and Market Power" provides an important and original analysis of competition issues in the tourism industry. It forms essential reading for scholars and practitioners in tourism, industrial economics and economic geography.