Abstract

This paper aims at analyzing the drivers affecting firm performance in terms of efficiency and value added of capital firms in the province of Viterbo in the tourism sector. We analyze efficiency with an endogenous stochastic frontier production function model, following what has been proposed in Guarini et al. (2020); while we test the impact on value added with dynamic and static panel models. The objective is to identify some possible policies to be implemented and/or strengthened at the provincial and regional level. Among the drivers considered, there is the potential role of networks between companies, in particular those originating from the Network Contracts, useful tools to promote the efficiency of tourism operators active in the Tourist District «Interregional Etruria Meridionale». According to the results, the investment, the endowment and the quality (in terms of training) of human capital and the participation in Network Contracts are relevant to improve technical efficiency. Finally, the data show a positive impact of the interaction between tourism business networks and the presence of foreign tourists on the value added