Innovation patterns in sustainable tourism

Abstract

Innovation in tourism is a matter of limited research and political consideration. Nevertheless, an increased environmental concern advanced by consumers, local inhabitants and authorities provokes innovative action within the tourism industry. This article offers a typology of innovations related to the environment. The following types of innovation can be distinguished: product innovations, classical process innovations, process innovations in information handling, management innovations and institutional innovations. The article concludes that innovations are predominantly launched as part of defensive strategies by the tourism industry. In addition, new products or processes are often exclusively a result of innovative efforts undertaken in other branches, for instance suppliers, causing a certain delay of endogenous innovation in the core tourism industry.