Networking and learning for tourism innovation: evidence from the Western Cape

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the nature of networking and learning by tourism firms in relation to accessing knowledge for innovation. In particular, the nature of tourism learning and networking, geography of networking linkages, and systemic characteristics of relationships between tourism firms, government agencies, higher education institutions, and other organisations in the Western Cape tourism system are examined. The analysis draws on 182 tourism firm, tourism system, and contextual interviews. This investigation demonstrates that even though tourism firms mostly use internal resources for innovation, external, non-local knowledge is significant for enhancing novel innovation. It is disclosed that whilst local network linkages are dense, loose, and of importance for business and marketing purposes, extra-regional network relationships are imperative for learning in relation to innovation. As further observed, network linkages between local and regional actors for supporting tourism innovation in the Western Cape are generally weak which points to the underdevelopment of local and regional innovation networks or systems. The paper provides planning recommendations for enhancing the competitiveness of tourism firms towards fostering development and growth in the regional tourism economy. Specifically, support for stimulating learning networks as well as strengthening systemic relationships in the Western Cape tourism system are recommended. It is underscored that strategic relationships with non-local partners need to be nurtured towards fostering tourism innovation and enhancing regional competitiveness.     

城市旅游环境可持续承载的管理创新研究

伴随着中国旅游业的迅猛发展,旅游环境问题日益突显,超载现象日益严重。本文结合管理创新的包容性、引导性和推动性思想,探讨城市旅游环境可持续承载问题,为城市旅游环境可持续承载提供竞争优势和持续竞争来源。文章通过对旅游环境超负荷使用的原因分析,提出城市旅游环境可持续承载管理创新的内涵,构建了旅游环境可持续承载管理创新的生成机制,探讨了内外部种子基于"问题探索式"的管理创新,阐述了城市旅游环境可持续承载或承载可持续性的管理创新模式,旨在为旅游环境承载力"超载"问题的解决提供新的角度,提升城市旅游环境的承载能力,调节"承载强度",促成其从"承载潜力"向"承载实力"转化,实现城市旅游环境的可持续承载。     

基于区域城市体系的旅游地域系统空间组织研究——以江苏为例

本文强调了旅游资源"集中性"的功能属性,并区分了地域、线性、等级、节点四种集中性,揭示了旅游资源经济、交通指向性的空间布局特征。通过分析旅游地域系统同区域城市体系在要素、结构及功能上的多层耦合关系,归纳出一定区域城市支持下的旅游地域系统空间组织---地域旅游城市网络等级体系模式。并通过分析城市体系空间结构、城市旅游功能结构,结合旅游业产业特性,划分出三个等级构成:中心旅游城市、旅游城市、特色旅游城镇或旅游景区。最后给出了江苏地域旅游城市网络体系空间组织。     

我国装备制造业的创新、知识溢出和产学研合作——基于一个扩展的知识生产函数方法

知识溢出的本地化现象揭示了地理边界的限制机理,然而越来越多的研究表明知识溢出也可发生在远距离的空间范围内。本文以我国装备制造业为例,采用扩展的知识生产函数方法探讨大学和科研机构的知识溢出对区域创新的影响。结果表明,大学和科研机构能够产生强烈的本地和跨区域的知识溢出效应,地理空间和创新网络在跨区域知识溢出中扮演重要角色。其中,产学研合作产生的知识溢出不仅局限于区域尺度,也发生在更高的国家尺度;在地理空间的制约影响下,高素质劳动力的流动对区域创新的影响十分显著且稳定,而大学和科研机构的衍生溢出机制则不那么明显,其原因可能与空间尺度选择有关。     

Location and collaboration: Manufacturing firms' use of knowledge intensive services in product innovation

The paper addresses the relation between geographical location of firms and collaboration with knowledge intensive service providers on product innovation in a small country setting. The analysis shows that even in a small country with limited geographical distances firms located in peripheral areas are less likely to be broad users of collaboration with knowledge intensive service providers in the process of product innovation than firms located in major urban areas. However, it is only amongst firms located in the periphery that collaboration strategy seems to matter in the sense that differences in development in employment can be detected between broad and rare users of collaboration.     

Where cities fail to triumph: The impact of urban location and local collaboration on innovation in Norway

The role of cities in fostering innovation has for long been taken for granted. Agglomeration and the knowledge spillovers generated in dense urban environments have been considered fundamental drivers of innovation. This view has, however, become challenged by research questioning the returns to physical agglomeration and local networking, placing instead more emphasis on the importance of interregional and international collaboration, and on innovation in peripheral regions. This paper delves into the debate on the role of cities for innovation by examining the interplay between urban location and local collaboration in Norway. It uses data from the Community Innovation Survey for 2006–2010 to map out the geographical dimension of R&D collaboration in Norwegian firms with a view to assessing whether different types of R&D collaboration in urban and rural locations affect firms’ propensity to innovate. The results show that local collaboration is associated with increased process and organisational innovation, while it does not produce higher levels of product or marketing innovation. Conversely, international collaboration is connected with higher probabilities of product, new-to-market and marketing innovations. Furthermore, location in urban or rural areas makes no difference for most innovation outcomes in Norway when other characteristics are controlled for. Location in cities also does not shape the returns to local R&D collaboration. Hence, the role of cities for innovation in Norway, whether in themselves or as sites for dense local interaction, is less relevant than the urban innovation literature would predict.     

Universities in inclusive regional innovation systems: Academic engagement and uneven knowledge use in Brazil

The purpose of this paper is to spatially and regionally examine academic engagement within Brazil, identifying patterns. Moreover, our investigation can contribute to a better understanding of how knowledge can be turned into a tool to fight regional inequality. We depart from two hypotheses: first, universities situated in peripheral regions interact more with companies from relatively more dynamic regions, and second, in the absence of industrial knowledge demand, universities tend to collaborate more closely with a diverse range of stakeholders in the region. To evaluate these hypotheses and find empirical evidence, we consider 4497 research groups and 4603 nonacademic organizations as “nodes” connected by 8830 collaborations throughout all Brazilian regions. Social network tools are used to illustrate the spatial and regional dimensions of academic engagement more accurately. The results show that academic engagement is not regionally homogeneous, demonstrating essential differences regarding local nonacademic partnerships. Innovation policies, which encourage only university–firm interactions, perpetuate regional inequality.     

Innovation,R&D and Technology Transfer: Policies towards a Regional Innovation System. The Case of Lombardy

The evolution of Lombardy's economic structure and international position led the regional government to build up a network of public and private stakeholders in the effort of promoting the creation of new knowledge and supporting innovation at local level. In this article a technology picture of the region and the main policy actions undertaken in recent years in Lombardy to promote a nest of linkages within actors, moving along the approach of regional innovation systems are presented.     

Globalization,Modes of Innovation and Regional Knowledge Diffusion Infrastructures

Firms increasingly transcend the boundaries of regional innovation systems in their search for technology and complementary capabilities, and only rarely can they build their knowledge bases on science system output alone. Whereas the former decouple firms from regional user–producer networks, the latter raises important questions concerning the role of local science and education system actors in industrial development. By applying the “modes of innovation” concept on a Norwegian region, this paper discusses how science and education institutions can respond to the challenges of knowledge base complexity and globalization. It concludes that such institutions may play a vital role in supporting knowledge-based development, albeit different from that of academic knowledge exploration followed by linear technology transfer to industry.     

旅游影响生成机制探析

本文从系统论的角度,探讨了旅游对目的地影响的生成机制问题。分析了旅游影响三大因子模块：旅游影响动力因子模块,即旅游流系统;旅游影响应力因子模块,即旅游目的地系统;旅游影响规范因子模块,即旅游制度创新系统。旅游流系统是通过旅游流各因子的各种行为对旅游影响产生驱动作用,从而使旅游目的地系统各旅游利益相关者产生响应行为,旅游制度创新系统通过规范各旅游利益相关者的行为来达到对旅游影响的调适和优化。这三大旅游影响因子模块是在5种旅游影响场：经济场、信息场、心理场、引力场和生态场的作用下相互影响、相互作用,以及通过旅游影响的不断反馈而生成的,从而得到一个旅游影响生成机制模型。     

Bridging the Knowledge-gap Between the Old and the New: Regional Marine Experience Production in Orust,Västra Götaland,Sweden

Abstract

Today many regions in the industrialized world have to deal with a transformation from traditional industry such as agriculture or manufacturing to service-oriented production such as tourism. Nevertheless, few studies highlight the possibilities and limitations of inter-sectoral knowledge sharing among stakeholders representing these sectors and hence there seem to be missed opportunities for mutual collaboration in the era of experience production. Using an evolutionary perspective, this article aims to analyse how the leisure boat manufacturing and the tourism sectors in the municipality of Orust on the Swedish west coast, combine knowledge from these two sectors as a way to spur innovation in experience production. The article shows how there are a number of limitations to sectoral knowledge interaction. Some of them can be linked to the conservative nature of the traditional industry, and to the immature nature of the tourism sector, others to the role of policy. However, at the same time as there being a number of obstacles for collaboration, the article reveals some interesting possibilities to form inter-sectoral knowledge sharing.     

旅游企业知识创新管理的认知与实践——以珠江三角洲地区为例

知识创新已成为旅游企业参与更高层次竞争的重要战略行为,但研究者发现旅游企业的创新知识转化率极低。本文通过对珠江三角洲地区近80家旅游企业知识创新管理活动现状的调查发现,对知识创新的需求日益增长与知识管理技术手段相对滞后是旅游企业内部的一对突出矛盾,而对隐性知识的高度依赖和标准化管理模式的盛行是造成旅游企业创新知识低转化率困境的根本原因。     

Embedding entrepreneurial regional innovation ecosystems: reflecting on the role of effectual entrepreneurial discovery processes

ABSTRACT

Collaboration between regional stakeholders is increasingly emphasized in innovation policy as a way to activate the inherent agency in a regional innovation system. Partnerships of diverse stakeholders have been identified as critical, being able to envisage and implement future pathways that in turn bring change to a region. Thus, the knowledge of various stakeholders is supposed to be combined in novel ways in order to define regional assets and possible future pathways. Nevertheless, it has been recognized that these agency activation approaches often fail to realize these long-term visions initially agreed by partners. We here draw on Sotarauta’s notion of policy ‘black holes’, where regional partners repeat past superficial successes rather than driving in to systemic change. We seek to understand the conditions under which regional stakeholders can build realistic and adaptable strategies that shift regional development trajectories. We explore this via a qualitative approach comparing entrepreneurial discovery processes in three peripheral regions, namely Twente (Netherlands), Aveiro (Portugal) and Lincolnshire (UK). We reflect on the potential value of more effectual (opportunistic/ flexible) approaches to entrepreneurial discovery. We argue that black hole problems may arise from the way agency activation strategies conceptualize long-term strategy development, if partners’ mind-sets are too causal and lacking flexibility to continually reorient strategies during implementation better towards these collective visions.     

Social enterprises in regional innovation systems: a review of Finnish regional strategies

The aim of modern innovation policies is to enhance the innovation capability of regions, their organizations and people. Regional innovation system (RIS) theory has been one of the most popular frameworks for realizing innovation policies. Yet, adopting the perspective of sustainable innovation policy where innovation is also seen as a solution to various societal and environmental problems has been slow. Social enterprises (SEs) are discussed here as a means to address those problems, particularly through collaboration between sectors and focusing on social sustainability. The aim of this paper is to identify whether and in what way SEs are communicated as an innovative solution and as a source of innovations for economic and development activities through regional strategies. The data consist of regional innovation and business strategies from all Finnish regions, analysed using qualitative content analysis. We argue that there is a need to go deeper and include effective support mechanisms for SEs in these documents. Better inclusion of SEs as part of innovation systems and communicating this through regional strategies would help to develop SEs and to have them perceived as potential innovators and active entrepreneurial actors in innovation systems contributing to economically, environmentally and socially sustainable development.     

Visitor Management,the Development of Sustainable Cultural Tourism and Local Community Participation at Chogha Zanbil,Iran

Abstract

Chogha Zanbil, an Elamite ziggurat and UNESCO World Heritage Site in Iran, has considerable potential as a cultural tourism destination but currently it receives a surprisingly small number of visitors. The site has seen a successful international conservation project over the past decade: now it needs a complete heritage strategy, which will give sufficient weight to developing sustainable tourism in a way that ensures the site's conservation, as well as its effective presentation to the public. This paper combines existing approaches to sustainable cultural development with primary research in Iran, including interviews with different stakeholders. It uses the Chogha Zanbil case study to suggest how visitor management strategies and cultural tourism can equip a site with the necessary tools to receive visitors and manage their impact while generating revenue for the site's maintenance and preservation. It also highlights the importance of local community participation in this process and provides examples of how local villagers can participate in, and benefit from, the development of sustainable cultural tourism at Chogha Zanbil.     

以形象为主导的区域旅游产品体系开发研究——以重庆市铜梁县特色旅游项目策划为例

在区域旅游产品体系的开发过程中旅游形象作为旅游目的地的识别要素,对旅游形象本身的策划研究至关重要,然而旅游形象更多的是要通过区域旅游产品体现出来,所以在旅游形象与旅游产品之间存在内在联系。本文以铜梁县旅游产品开发为例,提出旅游产品开发的关键环节有两个方面:围绕形象的旅游景区主题策划及围绕主题的特色旅游项目设计,并对以形象为主导的区域旅游产品体系开发程序和方法进行了研究,建立了相关模式。     

Micro-level assessment of regional and local disaster impacts in tourist destinations

ABSTRACT

The tourism sector faces severe challenges due to the economic impacts from changing natural environments as seen with the increased frequency of natural disasters. Therefore, analyses of disaster impacts models are necessary for managing successful tourism recovery. Typically, disaster assessments are conducted on a countrywide level, which can lead to imbalanced recovery processes, and a distorted distribution of recovery financing or subsidies. We address the challenges of recovery using the tourism disaster management framework by Faulkner. To calculate precise damage assessments, we develop a micro-level assessment model to analyze and understand disaster impacts at the micro-level supporting tourism recovery in an affected destination. We examine economic consequences of a disaster at a small regional scale arguing recovery from a natural disaster is more difficult in individual areas because of differences in geographic location or infrastructure development. The island of Dominica is chosen as an example for the model using statistical data from the tourism sector to outline and detail the consequences of a disaster specifically for communities. The results highlight the importance of damage assessments on a small-scale level, such as communities in order to distinguish between individual regions facing severe changes for resident livelihoods and the local tourism sector. We argue that only after identifying regional impacts it is possible to apply adequate governmental subsidies and development strategies for a country's tourism sector and residents in a continuously changing environment in the hopes of mitigating future financial losses and future climate change impacts.     

Key issues in the conceptualization of tourism destinations

The purpose of this paper is to review the evolution of how the term ‘destination’ has been used, critiqued, and analyzed. While the traditional view of a destination has largely focused geographical features and the systemic concept of tourism destinations has focused on the interaction between tourists, the staff in industries providing tourism services, and the local population, more recent conceptualizations of tourism destinations treat destinations as complex adaptive systems that adapt to ever-changing economic, political, and social trends. As well, recent work on integrative conceptual frameworks of tourism destinations highlights the importance of particular geographical elements in the emergence and development of destinations which affect the structure of the mode of production, the range of stakeholders involved in tourism activity, and the entire process of destinations evolution. Although the traditional – geographic concept of destination, from today's point of view, is one-sided and not comprehensive, geographical elements, however, are the nucleus from which a tourism destination occurs and develops. In this regard, it is indisputable that the geographical attributes of tourism destinations represent the key component of their resource base. This fact should be borne in mind in future conceptualizations of destinations.     

区域创新系统的管治框架演化——来自深圳和东莞的对比实证

本文在电子企业问卷调查的基础上,对比分析深圳和东莞的区域创新机制,并进一步从管治角度构建区域创新机制差异的理论框架,在中国转型的体制背景下阐释管治的演化逻辑。结果显示,改革开放初期自上而下的管治模式相对于自下而上的管治,在各自向网络化管治模式演化的过程中,由于先发制度优势和组织能力禀赋,更能顺利的推动工业基础薄弱地区向区域创新系统的转变。最后指出,演化视角分析必须注重时间和地理的特殊性。     

Wishful thinking? Towards a more realistic role for universities in regional innovation policy

ABSTRACT

The past 30 years has seen an escalating interest in the potential role of universities in contributing to their regional economies, reflected in the increasing trend for regional innovation strategies to ascribe a central role for universities, particularly in peripheral, institutionally thin places. The global economic crisis and subsequent austerity measures implemented in many developed economies have put further pressure on universities from national and regional policymakers to become more explicitly involved in contributing to their local economies in order to justify their public funding. This paper will draw on the academic literature to consider how justified this focus is by questioning whether universities are willing or even able to play the roles expected of them in contributing to regional innovation. It will critique an approach to policymaking that often views universities as homogenous actors in the regional innovation system and places an over reliance on imitating success stories from other places without sufficient consideration of the specificities of local conditions. It will argue for a more realistic and nuanced approach to involving universities in regional innovation policy, concluding with key insights for both universities and policymakers.