Theoretical and Practical Contributions of the Thesis

5.4 THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE THESIS

5.4.1 Theoretical contributions of the thesis

- The study found that the factors of Destination Marketing, Tourist Attraction, and Destination Management have a direct impact on Destination Competitiveness. The result is that Destination Marketing has the strongest impact on Destination Competitiveness; followed by Destination Management which has an average impact on Destination Competitiveness; and finally, the factor of Tourist Attraction has a low impact on Destination Competitiveness.

- The study has built a scale to measure the components of NLCT, supplemented and developed a number of measurement variables, enriching the scale of destination NLCT. This result will help subsequent studies to inherit the scale to serve future studies.

- Through an overview of the theoretical basis of research models on competitiveness in the tourism sector, based on the actual situation and consulting experts, the author has built a research framework on competitiveness of tourist destinations. As a result, the research framework on competitiveness of destinations has 13 concepts and 61 evaluation criteria.

- The thesis has systematized the studies on destination competitiveness of some countries in the world, in order to help future researchers to be able to base on the synthesis of the thesis to propose other research directions related to destination competitiveness.

5.4.2 Practical contributions of the thesis

The objective of this study is to empirically test the factors affecting the enhancement of tourism destination competitiveness in Bac Lieu. The research results show that: The influencing factors include destination marketing, tourist attraction factors, and destination management. There is a significant correlation between the concepts and discriminant validity. Based on the model testing results and the findings found through the interview process, the study has proposed some specific managerial implications to enhance the competitiveness of Bac Lieu tourism destinations.

This thesis brings some meanings to researchers, state agencies, enterprises, organizations such as tourism business associations, tourism clubs. Specifically as follows:

- The study identifies important coefficients and the level of impact of factors on destination competitiveness. The research results help businesses know the factors affecting the competitiveness of tourism businesses. From there, businesses have specific and appropriate action plans to bring business efficiency to the business.

- From the theoretical basis, the thesis builds a destination competitiveness model. The results of the destination competitiveness measurement model contribute to helping businesses, state management agencies and tourism business units use it to evaluate the competitiveness of tourist destinations.

- Based on the current situation of Bac Lieu tourist destination, the study has shown businesses the limitations of destination competitiveness, as a basis for proposing solutions to help tourism businesses increase business efficiency, in order to enhance destination competitiveness.

- The research results will contribute to stimulating further research on destination competitiveness, aiming to create competitive advantages for tourism businesses in the context of Vietnam's deep integration with other countries in the world.

- Finally, the proposed managerial implications are a meaningful reference source for tourism companies, entertainment areas, and tourist destinations to increase competitive advantage, contributing to the overall development of the tourism industry in Bac Lieu province.

5.5 LIMITATIONS OF THE THESIS

Besides the positive contributions in terms of science and practice, the thesis also has certain limitations that need to be further studied and supplemented to make the research content more comprehensive, specifically as follows:

-This study still has certain limitations, the survey subjects are domestic tourists who are Vietnamese people aged 18 and over, there are no foreigners, so determining the factors affecting the competitiveness of Bac Lieu tourism destinations has not covered the entire thesis topic.

- Currently, there are no previous studies related to the tourism destination competitiveness of Bac Lieu. Therefore, searching and analyzing previous related studies to find research gaps for the thesis is also limited.

- The study of factors affecting the competitiveness of Bac Lieu tourist destination was developed in the direction of testing research hypotheses for the case of Bac Lieu province. However, the number of tourists interviewed is limited. Therefore, the research results are not highly representative.

- The study only stops at determining the factors affecting the tourism destination competitiveness of Bac Lieu. The study has not been expanded to the Mekong Delta region and the whole country. Therefore, the research results are only specific to Bac Lieu, not representative of other localities in the country.

5.6 SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

From the limitations of the thesis topic, further research needs to be supplemented according to suggestions, specifically:

- Further studies can be expanded by studying more foreign tourists to fully demonstrate the content of the tourism destination competitiveness of Bac Lieu.

- Research to improve the competitiveness of Bac Lieu tourist destinations by interviewing more tourists. Therefore, the research results are higher.

- Research on improving the competitiveness of Bac Lieu tourism destinations will be expanded to the Mekong Delta provinces and other localities nationwide so that the thesis results will be more representative.

LIST OF PUBLISHED WORKS AND ARTICLES

1. Nguyen Thanh Sang , 2014. “Evaluating the potential of ecotourism routes in Bac Lieu province” , Can Tho University Science Journal, No. 30, pp. 73-83.

2. Nguyen Thanh Sang , Nguyen Trong Nhan, Phan Viet Dua, Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa, Le Thi Nu, 2015. “Factors affecting the quality of tourism services in Bac Lieu province”, Can Tho University Science Journal, No. 41, pp. 43-50.

3. Nguyen Thanh Sang , Nguyen Phu Son, 2018. “Tourism destination competitiveness: Proposing a structural model to measure the competitiveness of Bac Lieu tourism destination” , Can Tho University Science Journal, No. 1D, pp. 241-247.

4. Nguyen Thanh Sang , Nguyen Phu Son, 2018. " Factors determining the competitiveness of tourist destinations in Bac Lieu province" , Can Tho University Science Journal , No. 4D, pp. 229-236.

5. Nguyen Thanh Sang , Nguyen Phu Son , 2020. “ Research on destination management factors affecting the competitiveness of tourist destinations in Bac Lieu” , No. 563, Asia Pacific Journal , pp. 94-96.

6. Nguyen Thanh Sang , Nguyen Phu Son , 2020. “ Current situation and solutions to improve the competitiveness of tourist destinations in Bac Lieu”, Journal of Labor and Social Affairs , No. 621, pp. 15-17.

7. Nguyen Thanh Sang , Nguyen Phu Son , 2020. “ Examining the differences in factors affecting the competitiveness of tourist destinations in Bac Lieu”, Vietnam Tourism Magazine, No. 4, pp. 55-57.

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