How do external openness and R&D activity influence open innovation management and the potential contribution of social media in the tourism and hospitality industry?

Abstract

This research work focus on how the Tourism and Hospitality industry is applying the paradigm of Open Innovation supported by social media. Open Innovation remains in topical research agenda but the lack of studies in service sector and specifically for tourism companies makes a different from previous literature. Moreover, introduction of Social Media as tool to implement it is considered the main gap raised. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) is applied to data from 181 Portuguese and Spanish companies. This gives the keys to both customer involvement in New Product Development (NPD) and to the perception and results derived in terms of turnover and competitiveness. The structure of relationships between Research and Development, External Openness and Open InnovationManagement is highlighted with statistical analysis. Likewise, the introduction of social media adds value to the proposed model. Currently, there is a lack of models available to give structure to the OI paradigm and to allow us to manage it. The contribution of this research is based on comparing the explanatory power of three models that allow for testing of how certain strategic guidelines in tourism companies influence others and have a mediating or multiplier effect linked to each other (nested model). In conclusion, the originality of this research is based on the relationship between Open Innovation Management and social media and the mediator effect of External Openness.

Instagram as a Co-Creation Space for Tourist Destination Image-Building: Algarve and Costa del Sol Case Studies

“…These interactive and global technological tools provide a new means of travel information, in terms of searching, sharing, and enjoying trips [1,21]. In Hanan and Putit [18], it has already been pointed out that social media is a push factor to promote destinations and, in recent studies [19,21,24], its impact on destination creation branding has been highlighted. In this framework, individuals can freely produce content information about travelling by themselves that is available to everybody.…”

“…Theoretical frameworks allow us to accept that different users take part in the processes of building, enhancing, and promoting a destination's image [9,24,44,50,51]. Recent studies have highlighted that tourists have a significant effect on destination brand and their contribution is developed consciously and voluntarily [1,19,35,48,49].…”

Importance of Social Media in the Image Formation of Tourist Destinations from the Stakeholders’ Perspective

“…However, to date, there has been little research focused on the tourist destination brand image development concept from the stakeholder point of view. Many studies have been based on how destinations use social media to promote themselves and boost their image [19], the image perceived by tourists as a consequence of social media strategies carried out [20], or how tourists become co-creators of the image of a destination though social media platforms [21][22][23]. However, there are other stakeholders that have been unnoticed or simply not studied through a holistic and integrated manner.…”

A Critical Review of Literature in the Rising Tide of Social Media Towards Promoting Tourism

“…many people (Abou-Shouk & Hewedi, 2016). The power of social media is unavoidable, with a 220% yearly growth in Facebook (Iglesias-Sánchez et al, 2020) and more than 800 million visits a month on YouTube, with at least 4 billion videos viewed each day as the second largest search site after Google. These numbers are reportedly growing as the years go by, with nearly 25% of the world population currently indulging in social media and expected to rise to 2.33 billion by 2020 (Iglesias-Sánchez, López-Delgado,Correia & Jambrino-Maldonado, 2020).…”

“…The power of social media is unavoidable, with a 220% yearly growth in Facebook (Iglesias-Sánchez et al, 2020) and more than 800 million visits a month on YouTube, with at least 4 billion videos viewed each day as the second largest search site after Google. These numbers are reportedly growing as the years go by, with nearly 25% of the world population currently indulging in social media and expected to rise to 2.33 billion by 2020 (Iglesias-Sánchez, López-Delgado,Correia & Jambrino-Maldonado, 2020). Most consumers rely heavily on social media for travelling purposes, with Stikky Media (2014) reporting 40% of the travel destinations being influenced by social networking sites, and 70% of the visitors trust online recommendations than only 14% who have confidence on the advertisers.…”