Papers
Assessing Austria’s climate and energy model regions (KEM): a logic model evaluation of sustainability and destination competitiveness
Tourism destinations must transition toward climate neutrality without eroding long-term competitiveness. This study examines Austria’s Climate and Energy Model Regions (KEM) program across two tourism-intensive areas, treating destination competitiveness as an outcome of sustainability transitions. A logic model framework (inputs–activities–outputs–outcomes–impacts) analyzes how program design and collaborative governance contribute to sustainability results and destination-level competitiveness. Using a qualitative case-study approach, twenty-five semi-structured interviews with KEM stakeholders were analyzed through thematic analysis and triangulated with program documents. Findings show that KEM inputs (national co-funding, dedicated regional staff, program toolkits) enable activities (stakeholder engagement, energy audits, training) producing tangible outputs (PV installations, eco-certifications) that yield destination-relevant outcomes and impacts. These include reduced energy cost exposure, emissions reductions, stronger resident–business alignment, clearer sustainability branding, greater resilience to energy shocks and increased community well-being. The paper advances the sustainability–competitiveness nexus by offering a logic model-based assessment of a national climate–energy program’s destination-level implications. By deriving operational indicators from the competitiveness literature and validating them through triangulated qualitative evidence, the study provides a transferable monitoring template that operationalizes the sustainability–competitiveness nexus for destinations undergoing sustainability transitions.
Better together? Stakeholder collaboration as a driver for ecological innovation in community model destinations
This study explores the role of stakeholder collaboration in fostering ecological innovation within community model tourism destinations. As destinations face increasing ecological challenges, understanding how diverse stakeholders facilitate the adoption of sustainability practices is essential. Despite a growing body of literature exploring the economic dimensions of destination development, the specific mechanisms by which stakeholder collaboration catalyzes environmentally sustainable innovation have received less scholarly attention. Using a Flexible Pattern Matching Approach (FPMA) and qualitative interviews in Austrian destinations reveals how learning and dynamic capabilities, including experience accumulation, knowledge integration, and strategic visioning, serve as drivers for sustainable innovation capabilities. The findings demonstrate that collaborative relationships facilitate knowledge exchange, build trust, mobilize resources, and align sustainability concerns, leading to ecological innovations such as energy communities, sustainable transport, and slow food travel initiatives. By advancing the strategic net framework, this study offers practical insights for destination managers and policymakers, highlighting how collaborative efforts and supportive policies can balance economic, social, and environmental goals, ensuring long-term sustainability for tourism destinations.
Unlocking sustainable tourism: Exploring the drivers and barriers of social innovation in community model destinations
This study delves into the realm of sustainable tourism development, focusing on social innovation. It addresses a gap in existing literature by exploring the drivers and barriers of social innovation in community model destinations taking the networked nature of the tourism industry into account. Through in-depth interviews with stakeholders and participant observations, factors influencing social innovation at the micro, meso, and macro levels are uncovered. This research extends previous work on the interconnectedness of social entrepreneurial factors and innovation. Further, it emphasizes altruistic motivations, knowledge sharing and awareness building in addition to economic viability as essential at the micro level, while the importance of local networks, role models and the inclusion of local communities is essential at the meso level. Authenticity, as well as economic and political factors are macro influences to be navigated. This research offers direction for responsible and community-oriented tourism practices aligned with sustainable development goals.
Innovation in Crisis. The role of leadership and dynamic capabilities for a more innovative hospitality industry
This paper investigates the relationship between leadership and dynamic capabilities as drivers of innovation in the hospitality industry. Utilizing data from hospitality executives, we examine how different leadership styles impact the formation of dynamic capabilities and service innovations during unprecedented crises. This research expands extant literature by showcasing how different leadership styles impact different dynamic capabilities and in turn, innovation. We identify that innovative hospitality firms differ from non-innovative firms in their level of dynamic capability development and regarding the extent to which different leadership styles impact dynamic capabilities. The findings suggest practical implications for hospitality businesses and provide insights that can benefit policymakers in their design of a more resilient industry.