Shared knowledge and competitive advantages for economic diversification through olive oil tourism

The economic diversification of rural territories specialised in olive growing is key to the sustainability and resilience of these communities. In this context, olive oil tourism is presented as an innovative strategy to add value to the olive sector, attract visitors and promote public–private synergies. This study aims to determine the competitive advantages of olive oil tourism in the province of Jan, Spain, using strategic analysis tools that align tourism resources with effective management strategies. Hence, in addition to a questionnaire completed by experts and a specialised literature review, we used the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) matrix, adapted to territorial analysis focused on tourism. This methodology correlates the territorial resources of olive oil tourism (TRs, the ‚what') with management specifications (MSs, the ‚how'). The analysis determines the relative importance of the TRs, the objective values and the technical importance of the MSs, and the direction of improvement. Furthermore, it includes an evaluation of competitiveness and estimates the technical-competitive positioning index. Nine TRs and eight MSs were identified and correlated, and Jan's performance was compared to that of six other Spanish olive-growing provinces. Nine competitive advantages were identified, linked to five TRs (olive grove heritage landscape, tasting areas, exhibition centres, olive oil mills and greenways) and four MSs (olive mills, environmental education, diversification of supply and heritage promotion and innovation). This work proposes a useful tool to align resources and management, improve decision-making and move towards a more strategic governance in the olive oil tourism sector.