Determinants of CEE Countries’ Tourism Competitiveness: A Benchmarking Study

The purpose of this research is to analyze the competitiveness determinants of the travel & tourism sector in Central and East Europe (CEE) countries. The aim is to find the critical competitiveness determinants of the travel & tourism sector in the CEE countries that is being improved by efficient development strategies in the future. The framework for analysis is a methodology of the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness, created by the World Economic Forum, and its classification of competitiveness factors – pillars and necessary information basis for this research. The benchmarking study on CEE countries’ tourism competitiveness was conducted using the descriptive statistics, comparative analysis and benchmarking. The research results are related to relevant moments for the CEE group of countries and show the critical pillars for each country in the CEE group. The conclusions of this research give the directions for tourism policy makers in the CEE countries.