Drivers of social innovation for tourism enterprises: a study on lifestyle entrepreneurship

AbstractThe importance of tourism lifestyle entrepreneurs (TLEs) for the sustainability and competitiveness of tourism destinations has gained much attention from academic researchers and policy makers. A key characteristic of TLEs is their social ties and attachment to the physical and social environment, this in turn drives motivations to support and protect the destination that enables entrepreneurs to achieve their lifestyle goals. Thus, the interdependencies between TLEs and destination is a catalyst for value co-creation and social innovation (i.e., generating and implementing new solutions to social problems and needs). While the extant research has focused on business’ financial performance outcomes, our understanding of the drivers of TLE social innovation and the implications for the sustainability of tourism-based communities remains a major gap. This study analyzes survey data through PLS-SEM and fsQCA to identify the factors influencing TLEs social innovation activities. Findings suggest that 1) value co-creation, and 2) TLE proactiveness directly influence social innovation, and support a mediation effect on the relationship between the businesses’ market orientation and social innovation practices. These finding introduce new knowledge on the drivers of TLE social innovation, with practical implications for local governments and destination authorities in supporting the sustainability of destinations.Keywords: Social innovationtourism lifestyle entrepreneurssustainabilityco-creationentrepreneurship Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s)Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, grant UIDB/00315/2020.Notes on contributorsÁlvaro DiasÁlvaro Lopes Dias Professor of Tourism, marketing and Entrepreneurship at ISCTE-IUL, Lisbon, Portugal. He holds two Ph.Ds. one in Management and Marketing and another in Tourism, Postdoctoral studies in Management, MSc in Strategy, and MBA in International Business. He has over 26 years of teaching experience. He has had several visiting positions in different countries and institutions including Brazil, Angola, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Poland, and Finland. Professor Dias has produced extensive research in the field of Tourism and Management. His work has published Current Issues in Tourism, J. Sustainable Tourism, J. Brand Management or Bus. Process Management J.Beatriz Palacios-FlorencioBeatriz Palacios Florencio PhD in Business Economics, Graduate in Business Studies, Degree in Marketing Research and Techniques (Marketing) and Master in Strategic Management and International Business, University of Seville. She is Associate Professor of Marketing at the Universidad Pablo de Olavide (Seville). She specializes in two complementary areas of research related to teaching and services marketing. Regarding the first one, she has participated and is the author of case studies promoted by projects of the University of Seville on the case method in teaching. In the area of services marketing, her research topic is corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the tourism sector. She is author and reviewer of scientific articles in national and international journals.Rob HallakRob Hallak Dr Rob Hallak (PhD, GAICD) is an Associate Professor in Management at the University of South Australia. He is internationally recognised for his expertise in entrepreneurship and business performance in the tourism industry. He has authored/co-authored over 70 publications including journal articles, book chapters, conference papers and industry reports. He is the author of the book ‘Managing Tourism Enterprises: Start-up, Growth and Resilience’, CABI Publishing: UK.