Tourism Ecosystems: sustainability management and digitalization

Tourism is a highly complex phenomenon, the subject of analysis by numerous scholars and practitioners in the field. In this book we assume that dealing with such complexity requires a systemic approach, and a particular focus on the networks connecting physical and virtual elements within tourism destinations. Tourism destinations epitomise ecosystems which are robust and very capable of self-organising in the face of crisis. However, such systems can also be rather fragile when changes directly impact their main components. Network theory is proposed, describing existing types of destination governance in terms of digital tourism ecosystems, and expanding the different levels upon which these systems operate and evolve. Digital tourism ecosystems require sustainability management, stakeholder participation in decision making, and the capacity to respond rapidly to change and quickly find new equilibria. The role of digital technology in achieving sustainability goals is illustrated with a rich body of real-life examples.