drivers and emerging innovations in knowledge based destinations towards a research agenda

Abstract Research on innovation in tourism is fragmented and confined to traditional paradigms. This critical review paper, which cross-fertilises and discusses the relevant literature in tourism and other theoretical domains, proposes an integrative theoretical framework of innovation in destinations. The paper identifies four emerging innovations – experience co-creation, smart destinations, e-participative governance and social innovation – as evolutionary, knowledge-driven phenomena that are generated by the interaction among four destination actors and facilitated by information and communication technologies (ICTs) and social capital. The discussion and conclusion present some theoretical advances as follows: local contexts matter in destination innovation when assuming a repository role of spatial and cross-sectorial knowledge; social capital and ICT infrastructures facilitate innovativeness and stakeholder engagement; and emerging innovations are pervasive and the holistic results of the collective knowledge of four destination actors and are facilitated by ICT and social capital. The paper offers avenues for future research and challenges that should be explored by academics, policy makers and destination managers

Beyond the authenticity–standardisation paradox in international gastronomy retailing: Twisting the hosting city brand with the place of origin

PurposeThis study aims to frame the authenticity–standardisation relationship in international gastronomy retailing and explores how and to what extent the food place of origin and the urban context in which the gastronomy stores are located shape customers' in-store experience.Design/methodology/approachThis paper analyses the case of Eataly, which combines specialty grocery stores and restaurants disseminating the Italian eating style, quality food and regional traditions internationally. Facebook reviews (1,018) of four Eataly stores – New York City, Rome, Munich and Istanbul were analysed, adopting a web content mining approach.FindingsPlace of origin, quality and hosting city categories frame the gastronomic in-store experience. Standardisation elements (shared across the four analysed stores) and authenticity elements (specific to a single store) are identified towards defining three archetypical authenticity–standardisation relationships, namely originated authenticity, standardised authenticity and localised authenticity.Originality/valueThis study proposes original modelling that disentangles the authenticity–standardisation paradox in international gastronomy retailing. It provides evidence of the intertwining of the place of origin and the city brand in customers' in-store experience

Smart technologies in the Covid-19 crisis: Managing tourism flows and shaping visitors' behaviour

This paper contributes to the academic debate on tourism destination development in the COVID-19 crisis, by investigating the role of smart technology tools for managing tourism flows and shaping visitors' behaviours. Considering tourism in the COVID-19 crisis as an emerging stream of research, the paper assumes a continuity with the overtourism research (pre-COVID-19) and builds on the cross-fertilization between the advances in this field and the smart destination literature. Based on an explorative online news media analysis, the paper provides fresh knowledge on the role of smart technologies in destination management, by proposing the Smart Technology Matrix. This frames the smart-tech tools and provides the conceptual background for opening future paths of inquiry on smart tourism destinations in the Covid-19 context

A Multi‑modelling Approach for Assessing Sustainable Tourism

Academics, institutions and policymakers advocate systematic assessments to design sustainable development and implement proper environmental management; however, practical measurements in tourism research based on composite indicators are still in progress. This paper aims to build and validate a composite indicator of sustainable tourism (Sus-Tour-Index), which recognises the economic, environmental and social dimensions as the three main interrelated facets of tourism sustainability. The SusTour-Index is composed of 75 elementary indicators, adequately structured in pillars and sub-pillars within each economic (34), environmental (21) and social dimension (20). A multi-modelling approach tests the hierarchical structure of the SusTour-Index by combining different weighting and aggregation methods within each sustainability dimension to choose the most appropriate model once the uncertainty analysis has been performed. The structure of the SusTour-Index is validated in all 21 Italian regions by performing 23 different models of the same composite indicator. The paper presents theoretical and methodological contributions for future research and advances in practical assessments, supporting policymakers and institutions in planning and managing sustainable tourism development

Confini, coalizioni e governance nei contesti territoriali. Verso la realizzazione dei sistemi turistici locali

Negli ultimi anni, i temi dei confini e della governance dei sistemi turistici locali sono stati al centro del dibattito nazionale ed internazionale. Il presente lavoro, partendo dalle tre diverse prospettive di identificazione dei confini dei contesti turistici locali (politicoistituzionale, statistico territoriale e economico-aziendale) ed evidenziando possibili chiavi interpretative della governance territoriale, intende contribuire al dibattito attraverso un approccio che integra gli studi 'politici' e 'neo-micro-istituzionalisti'. In sintesi, la governance locale è interpretata come un incessante processo di costruzione e decostruzione di un quadro istituzionale, attraverso giochi coalizionali e attività di lobbying in senso lato