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Purpose This study aims to analyse the relationship between tourism competitiveness and efficiency across Mediterranean coastal regions, focusing on the existence of an efficiency paradox whereby competitive destinations do not necessarily achieve efficient outcomes. Design/methodology/approach A two-stage quantitative approach is applied to 58 Mediterranean coastal regions at the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, level 2. Firstly, principal component analysis is used to construct composite competitiveness indicators, followed by hierarchical cluster analysis to identify tourism profiles. Secondly, an output-oriented data envelopment analysis (CCR model) assesses the efficiency with which regions transform tourism resources into outcomes. Findings The results identify two main regional profiles: consolidated destinations and regions with emerging tourism potential. Efficiency analysis shows that 28 regions lie on the efficient frontier, while several advanced destinations operate inefficiently. Conversely, some emerging regions achieve high efficiency despite more limited competitiveness. These findings provide empirical evidence of an efficiency paradox in Mediterranean tourism. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by empirically demonstrating and conceptualising an efficiency paradox at the regional level within a comparative framework, while previous studies have reported mismatches between tourism development and efficiency. By integrating competitiveness-based clustering with efficiency analysis, it proposes a dual structural–functional perspective that challenges linear interpretations of tourism development and provides insights for tourism planning and policy evaluation.
Carrillo-Hidalgo et al. (Tue,) studied this question.