Innovation and Product Development in Tourism

For the tourism and leisure industry innovation is one of the key factors of sustainable competitive advantage. Therefore it is astonishing that especially the tourism and leisure industry has for a long time underperformed in the field of innovation relative to other branches. Today it faces an innovation gap notably vis-à-vis ever increasing expectations of its customers. By closing this gap you could obtain strong competitive advantages for your tourism business or your destination. But innovation in tourism is a difficult and complex task. It is a serious strategic task. This volume written by international experts in tourism closes the gap between the available knowledge on innovation and its transformation into innovative products and services in tourism. The user gains central insights for the driving forces of innovation. The book shows how the spatial distribution of tourism enterprises, the degree of rivalry or cooperation, the closeness to resources and the clients are affecting innovations. Highlights - Sources and determinants of innovations - The destination as an innovation system for non-winter tourism - Technology externalities in the tourism industry - Towards an innovation-oriented tourism policy - Innovation in tourism enabled by ICT - On the nature of the innovative organization in tourism - Impulsive thoughts: What leads to emotions, where and how? - Knowledge management as precursor for innovation in tourism - the case of "Family Nests" in Tyrol - Customer orientation through emotional marketing - towards creating an innovative virtual buying experience