Digital Transformation and Quality-Oriented Tourism Supply as Determinants of Destination Competitiveness in Developing Economies

Digital transformation is increasingly reshaping how tourism destinations enhance service quality and strengthen competitive positioning, particularly in developing economies characterized by heterogeneous digital maturity and structural constraints. This study develops and empirically tests a conceptual model examining the relationship between destination digital transformation, tourism supply quality, and destination competitiveness, with a specific focus on the mediating role of quality-oriented tourism supply. Survey data were collected from 242 tourism stakeholders and analyzed using hierarchical regression and bootstrapped mediation analysis (PROCESS Model 4, 5000 samples). The results show that digital transformation has a significant positive total effect on destination competitiveness (β = 0.48, p < 0.001), explaining 56% of the variance in competitiveness (R2 = 0.56). However, a substantial portion of this effect is transmitted indirectly through tourism supply quality. The mediation analysis confirms a statistically significant partial mediation effect, with approximately 41% of the total effect operating through quality-oriented mechanisms. The findings demonstrate that digital transformation enhances competitiveness primarily when embedded within structured quality management, online reputation management, and smart governance practices, rather than through technological adoption alone. The study contributes to the literature by integrating digital transformation and tourism supply quality into a unified competitiveness framework tailored to developing economy contexts and provides practical guidance for policymakers and destination managers seeking inclusive and sustainable growth through quality-oriented digital strategies.