Tourism destinations: A universality conjecture based on network science

The structural characteristics of a tourism destination are of crucial importance since they influence its dynamic behavior. Many studies have shown that destinations have apparently similar topologies. The question posited in this paper is to what extent does this similarity hold, and whether these topologies can be considered as a universal trait. This study reanalyzes available data to test this conjecture. In particular, several quantities representing the topological structures of the destination are calculated; further, we obtain size-invariant and scalable similarity scores. The results indicate that destinations hold structurally similar, and arguably universal, characteristics. This finding is important as it suggests that there are some very basic (and consistent) strategies destination managers can develop when designing plans and actions. •Network analysis has provided interesting outcomes in tourism studies.•Many studies on tourism destinations show relatively similar topologies.•We analyze the features of some destination networks looking for universal traits.•Size-invariant similarity scores allow conjecturing the universality of topologies.•We thus provide more solid foundations for design activities in a destination.