Measuring Tourism Performance Using a Shift-Share Analysis: The Case of South Carolina

Abstract

The purpose of this study was twofold: to illustrate the utility of shift-share analysis in examining the performance of the tourism industry in South Carolina and to compare industry performance with other South Atlantic states of the United States. The study assessed competitive advantages of tourism industry sectors. Results suggest that South Carolina's core tourism industries have not kept pace with the nation's core tourism industries, mainly because the air passenger transportation sector lacks regional advantage. The total tour ism industry improved, however, primarily due to the competitive advantage of supportive tourism industries. The contribution of supportive tourism industries (Tier 2) to the core tourism industries (Tier 1) revealed a paradox.