Networking for sustainable tourism – towards a research agenda

Abstract

This paper proposes a research agenda for networking for sustainable tourism research based on a collaborative workshop of international tourism academics and researchers and an extensive review of the relevant literature. Each year, Building Excellence in Sustainable Tourism – an Education Network (BEST EN) holds a Think Tank on a topical issue in sustainable tourism education. One aim of the Think Tank is to develop a relevant research agenda that draws on the collective knowledge of participants and acknowledges the interdependent economic, environmental and social objectives in sustainable tourism. Six main areas were identified as important for a research agenda on networking for sustainable tourism and its implementation: theory, methodology and conceptual issues; actors, culture and power; lifecycle, evolution and dynamics of networks; knowledge transfer; macro-perspectives and strategic action, vision, innovation and management of networks. This paper presents and discusses these research themes in the context of a literature review on networks and networking for sustainability in tourism. It is found that substantial progress has been made in the investigation of private sector networks at the destination levels; research on networks involving public sector stakeholders and networks across sectors and levels of governance, however, remains limited.

可持续性旅游的网络 - 针对一个研究日程

该文章提出了一个对可持续性旅游研究的网络的研究日程，这是基于a) 一个国际旅游学者和研究者的合作讨论会，和b）一个对相关文献的延伸思考。每一年，建立可持续性旅游卓越性 - 一个教育网络(BEST EN)拥有一个智囊团来解释可持续性旅游教育中的一个课题。智囊团的一个目的是发展一个相关的研究日程来动用参与者的综合知识，和在可持续性旅游中认知独立的经济，环境和社会目的。文章确立了对一个可持续性旅游和它的实施的网络研究日程重要的六大主要领域：理论，研究方法论和概念性问题；参与者，文化和权利；生命周期，进化和网络的不同方面；知识转移；宏观概念和战略行动，视角，网络的创新和管理。该文章在旅游可持续性的网络和网络化的文献阅读的内容中的介绍和讨论了以上的研究主题。研究发现在目的地级别的私营企业网络中的调查取得了重大的实质性进展；而包括公共部门利益相关者和政策治理中不同部门和级别的网络这样的研究仍然是有限的。

Keywords:

• sustainable tourism
• tourism networks
• networking in tourism

关键词:

• 可持续性旅游
• 旅游网络
• 旅游中的网络化

Acknowledgements

The author thanks Dr Deborah Edwards, University of Technology Sydney; Dr Pierre Benckendorff, University of Queensland; and Prof. Dr Dagmar Lund-Durlacher, MODUL University, Vienna, for their valuable comments on the draft of this paper. The author gratefully acknowledges the BEST EN Think Tank participants who co-created the research agenda. Finally, the comments and suggestions of three anonymous reviewers have greatly helped in revising this paper.