Ecosystem Model Proposal in the Tourism Sector to Enhance Sustainable Competitiveness
Abstract
:1. Introduction
“To provide a product/service system, an historically self-organized or managerially designed multilayer social network consist of actors that have different attributes, decision principles and beliefs”
“The fundamental idea of an entrepreneurship ecosystem is to create a conductive environment to support innovation, the formation of new successful firms and corresponding sustainable employment growth within a specific geographic region”
2. Theoretical Background and Initial Model Development
2.1. Entrepreneurship Ecosystems: A Reference Model
- Politicians, government agencies, universities and business associations;
- Startups, SMEs and existing large companies, which drive economic development through innovation. Among these companies there may be those that provide services to entrepreneurs, such as patent agencies or venture capital companies, for example.
- Policies: Support from the Administration and public bodies, both at the legislative level and creating regulations and initiatives that foster entrepreneurial activity;
- Financing: Easy and fast access to financing, both banking and private;
- Culture: Giving diffusion and visibility to success stories, and a good reputation to entrepreneurs;
- Support: All those services, resources and initiatives to support the entrepreneur;
- Human Capital: Educational Institutions, Universities and training for entrepreneurs;
- Markets: Establishment of entrepreneur networks, existence of first customers that test beta-products (early adopters) and from which feedback can be received.
- Do not try to create another Silicon Valley. Nowadays it is more a magnet for attracting entrepreneurs who come there to settle and not an environment where entrepreneurship is created from scratch;
- The local ecosystem must be created based on the existing conditions and their circumstances;
- The private sector must be involved and give support from the beginning;
- Although, as mentioned above, the financing needs of startups are lower and capital can reach a greater number of entrepreneurs, companies with high potential must be favored;
- It is essential to have success stories, disseminate them and inspire others;
- A cultural mindset which promotes a good image of entrepreneurs must be encouraged;
- Easy financing or flooding startups with money must be avoided since these measures often have the opposite effect;
- Clusters foster entrepreneurial spirit, so their growth must be supported organically;
- The creation of companies and their growth should be encouraged by adapting and reforming laws and bureaucracy.
2.2. Proposed Model of an Urban Tourism Ecosystem in the City of Gandia
- Policies: Supports from the Administration and public organisms, at a legislative level as well as creating regulations and initiatives that favor tourist activity;
- Financing: Fast and easy access to financing, both banking and privately, to launch projects and initiatives and for companies within the tourism sector;
- Culture: Diffusion and visibility of the initiatives of the sector, creating a local sense of affinity and belonging to the city as a tourism brand;
- Support: All those services, resources and initiatives to support the sector;
- Human Capital: Educational Institutions, Universities and training for professionals of the sector that enable work to be carried out in a professional manner;
- Markets: Promotion and support to networks and associations of professionals, existence of first customers that can try new products and from which feedback can be received.
3. Materials and Methods
- The case design and its type are chosen by the researcher;
- It is necessary to be aware of the problem and context;
- The unit to analyze must be identified;
- Data must be reliable and valid (triangulation).
- Conceptualisation and explanation of the problem (corresponding to steps 1 and 2, Figure 3);
- Recopilation of the information (corresponding to steps 3 and 4, Figure 3);
- Structuration and organisation of data, (corresponding to step 5, Figure 3);
- Socialisation and adjustment of data (corresponding to step 6, Figure 3);
- Elaboration of the thesis (corresponding to step 7, Figure 3).
4. Results
- Breaking the strong seasonality of tourist flows;
- Adapting the human resources management model to improve the ability to attract and retain talent;
- Improving the competitive environment;
5. Conclusions, Limitations and Future Lines of Research
Author Contributions
Funding
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Morant-Martínez, O.; Santandreu-Mascarell, C.; Canós-Darós, L.; Millet Roig, J. Ecosystem Model Proposal in the Tourism Sector to Enhance Sustainable Competitiveness. Sustainability 2019, 11, 6652. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11236652
Morant-Martínez O, Santandreu-Mascarell C, Canós-Darós L, Millet Roig J. Ecosystem Model Proposal in the Tourism Sector to Enhance Sustainable Competitiveness. Sustainability. 2019; 11(23):6652. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11236652
Chicago/Turabian StyleMorant-Martínez, Oscar, Cristina Santandreu-Mascarell, Lourdes Canós-Darós, and José Millet Roig. 2019. "Ecosystem Model Proposal in the Tourism Sector to Enhance Sustainable Competitiveness" Sustainability 11, no. 23: 6652. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11236652