The Quadruple Helix as a Tool for Innovation in Tourism: A Study in the City of Rio de Janeiro in the Post-Olympic Period

ABSTRACT

The premise of the quadruple helix is the interaction between academia, the private sector, public management, and civil society to benefit territorial innovation. This study aims to investigate the extent to which the components of the quadruple helix are used as an instrument of tourism innovation in a destination after a major sport event. To this end, a quantitative survey was conducted in Rio de Janeiro, with 248 representatives of these ecosystems, three years after hosting the Olympic Games. The results indicate that there is a significant gap between these actors in tourism innovation and towards the solution of local problems. It is intended not only to cover an empirical gap in tourism innovation research to but also to point out that it is urgent to stimulate stronger integration of innovation ecosystems, especially private sector, and civil society, in order to increase the competitiveness of tourism destinations.

KEYWORDS:

• Innovation
• tourism
• quadruple helix
• post-Olympic
• Rio de Janeiro

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was financially supported by the research unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policy (UIDB/04058/2020), funded by national funds through FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia.