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<jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Purpose</jats:title>
<jats:p>This study aims to identify Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for tourism route development and proposes a tailored conceptual model. It addresses a comprehensive range of tourism routes, considering their respective goals and performance.</jats:p>
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<jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Design/methodology/approach</jats:title>
<jats:p>The authors applied a qualitative approach to investigate five tourism routes, interviewing 31 current and former members and examining secondary data from organisational documents. A conceptual model was developed through content analysis of transcripts and secondary data.</jats:p>
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<jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Findings</jats:title>
<jats:p>Based on the identified CSFs, the model is organised into six components: Product, Goals, Resources, Governance, Activities and Performance assessment.</jats:p>
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<jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Research limitations/implications</jats:title>
<jats:p>The study analyses various tourism routes concerning their products, implementation levels, goals, performance and perceived success.</jats:p>
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<jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Practical implications</jats:title>
<jats:p>Most respondents are public authorities from European countries. Besides, consideration should be given to developing quantitative research to validate the derived theory.</jats:p>
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<jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Social implications</jats:title>
<jats:p>The model may facilitate participants in enhancing and developing tourism routes, thereby contributing to achieving sustainable development goals related to rural-urban connections and tourism partnerships.</jats:p>
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<jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Originality/value</jats:title>
<jats:p>The development of tourism routes is expected to impact socio-economic development in rural/peripheral areas positively.</jats:p>
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