Outdoor sports and active tourism company management in Cordoba (southern Spain): An empirical study on the perception and behavior of supply

Abstract

This paper analyzes the perception and behavior of active tourism companies that provide outdoor physical sports activities in emerging tourist destinations in Cordoba, an inland province of southern Spain. The active tourism supply of registered businesses was analyzed using fieldwork data and more than 30 variables including training and qualification of human resources, business vision of demand, marketing and promotion strategies, and perceptions of supply trends. To this end, a quantitative-qualitative empirical study was performed together with in-depth interviews of key stakeholders. Official registry sources were also used to complement the data. The results show a fragmented network of micro-SMEs that are functionally isolated from the rest of the tourism supply and display an intuitive and poor market-oriented behavior due to the inadequate management of their client portfolio. Such management models make it difficult for these businesses to take advantage of key strategic assets to increase profitability and achieve a competitive and sustainable advantage.