Determinants of the Competitiveness of Small and Medium Hotel Enterprises Affecting the Attraction of International Tourism to Two Mexican Cities

Abstract

The objective of this study is to determine that transportation infrastructure, innovation, price, and skilled labor are variables that positively impact the international competitiveness of hotel micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the cities of Puebla de Zaragoza, Puebla, and Morelia, Michoacán, México. The theoretical basis is Michael Porter's Theory of Competitive Advantage. The methodology involved defining the hotel MSMEs in both cities and conducting fieldwork using questionnaires. We used the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) test to select the best statistical analysis for the hypothesis. We used the Mann-Whitney U test as a contrast method based on the results obtained. Additional validation was subsequently conducted using Bayes' Theorem. The results obtained indicate that the variables have a positive impact on hotel MSMEs, contributing to increasing their competitiveness in attracting international tourism. We recommend that collaboration between the public and private sectors be encouraged to design and implement comprehensive tourism promotion public policies to increase the attractiveness of international tourism to the cities of Puebla and Morelia.