Editorial: networks, dynamics, and innovation in the Tourism industry

Abstract

In recent years, networks and networking between tourism actors have been of increasing scholarly interest (Baggio, Scott, & Cooper, 2010 Baggio, R., Scott, N., & Cooper, C. (2010). Network science: A review focused on tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 37(3), 802–827.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®], , [Google Scholar]; Haugland, Ness, Grønseth, & Aarstad, 2011 Haugland, S. A., Ness, H., Grønseth, B.-O., & Aarstad, J. (2011). Development of tourism destinations: An integrated multilevel perspective. Annals of Tourism Research, 38(1), 268–290.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®], , [Google Scholar]; Mwesiumo & Halpern, 2017 Mwesiumo, D., & Halpern, N. (2017). A review of empirical research on interorganizational relations in tourism. Current Issues in Tourism, 1–28. doi: 10.1080/13683500.2017.1390554[Taylor & Francis Online], , [Google Scholar]; Yachin, 2017 Yachin, J. M. (2017). The entrepreneur–opportunity nexus: Discovering the forces that promote product innovations in rural micro-tourism firms. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism. doi: 10.1080/15022250.2017.1383936[Taylor & Francis Online], , [Google Scholar]). A network can be defined as “a set of nodes and the set of ties representing some relationship, or lack of relationship, between the nodes” (Brass, Galaskiewicz, Greve, & Tsai, 2004 Brass, D. J., Galaskiewicz, J., Greve, H. R., & Tsai, W. P. (2004). Taking stock of networks and organizations: A multilevel perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 47(6), 795–817.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®], , [Google Scholar], p. 795). In a tourism context, nodes are any actor that take part in the production of the tourism product, or experience, and ties are the relationships that exist between the actors. For example, a destination network can be defined as all those organizations, and their relationships, that take part in the co-production of the total destination product. Typically, transportation firms, hotels and lodging, restaurants, and different kinds of activity and infrastructure providers are important actors, as are also public sector organizations that represent the institutional context and framework conditions. Furthermore, tourists are often considered as they are co-creating their experiences