Design/methodology/approach – The aim of the empirical research was to check the following
hypotheses: clear positioning on longer-stay customers makes it more likely that the conduct of ski
corporations and hotel businesses will complement each other; clear positioning on longer-stay
customers improves the competitive performance of ski corporations; and clear positioning on
longer-stay customers improves the competitive performance of tourist hospitality businesses. The
multiple case study methodology was adopted as a means of refuting or confirming these hypotheses,
with the use of a combination of qualitative and quantitative data, although giving greater weight to the quantitative sources