The present process of globalization stresses the need to continuously seek international competitiveness. Firms' strategies have rapidly evolved in the last few years. In this sense, `Global Value Chains' (GVCs) (Gereffi, 1994) are being increasingly used to describe the whole set of activities involved in the production and consumption of a good or service. Taking part in these global value chains is essential for the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) to survive and even make profit from the globalization process. This paper analyzes the configuration of global value chains in the tourism sector. The participation of Andalusian SMEs in the global tourism value chain is studied in greater depth.

The present process of globalization stresses the need to continuously seek international competitiveness. Thus, firm strategies have been rapidly evolving in the last few years. Technological advances have exerted a critical influence on this process, modifying the traditional consideration of competitive advantages due to: new rules of international competitiveness, relative change in the cost of some resources (labor, transports, etc.), and the new role of distance and geographical localization as elements of competitive advantage (López, 2005). This has led to global strategic designs, as reflected in the configuration of global tourism value chains.

These changes are also taking place within the tourism sector. Go and Pine (1995) point to the following elements as the cause of increasing competitive environment: globalization of tourism markets, greater consumer sovereignty, changing firm strategies, introduction of new technologies in the tourism industry, and the transformation in marketing channels. Tourism firms are forced to restructure to adapt to this new environment. Main strategies in this sense are: firm mergers, introduction of new agents in the market, new management models, and internationalization (Ioannides and Debbage, 1997; and Bywater, 1998). In other words, global value chains are emerging.

The first objective of this paper is to understand the configuration of global value chain in the tourism sector. Thus, it identifies the relationships established among the different participating agents (tour operators, travel agents, Global Distribution Systems (GDS), reservation centers, hotels, airlines, Destination Management Organizations (DMO), etc.). As the second objective, it analyzes the position of Andalusian tourism firms in global value chains, with data obtained from several case studies carried out on Andalusian hotels and travel agents.

Supply Chain Management Journal, Global Value Chains, Globalization, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, SMEs, Global Tourism Value Chains, Tourism Markets, Global Distribution Systems, GDS, Destination Management Organizations, World Tourism Organization, WTO, Multinational Tourism Organizations, Technological Systems, Information and Communication Technologies, ICT.