Metaphor-based alliance partners recommendation for unique and attractive destination image building

Abstract

Partner selection is an important issue in alliance formation. A lot of research works have been done in developing the framework or criteria for selecting partners. However, research to date suggests relatively little is known about how to select partners for attractive and unique image building, which is essential to the developments of tourism especially for SME owners in the tourism sector. In this paper, we propose a systematic approach for service providers in tourism industry to identify appropriate partners to form alliances and build their attractive and unique images. This approach employs metaphors as a tool to generate innovative and creative solutions. The system architecture is then provided and elaborated with algorithms and a system scenario. By forming better alliances, SMEs in tourism sector can gain competitive advantages and improve their sustainability and profitability. © 2011 IEEE.