Sustainable innovation in nature-based tourism from the perspective of dynamic capabilities

Abstract: While traveling brings economic opportunities while climate change, resource depletion and the rapid growth of tourist numbers threaten the communities and ecology in the destination. Concerns about these threats require the sustainability of tourism in the destination, where local enterprises as the major players are encouraged to lead change by adopting sustainable innovation. As the major players in tourism destinations, the contribution of sustainable innovation activities of NBT enterprises to the sustainable destinations development is greatly underestimated and there are few studies on the sustainable innovation of NBT enterprises employed in existing literatures. Thus, the purpose of this study is to reveal dynamic capabilities and processes of sustainable innovation of NBT enterprises. Based on the triple classification of the dynamic capabilities of Teece-model (2007) and the five key phases of enterprise development and ‘critical junctures’ of Vohora-model (2004), this study proposes a model of NBT sustainable innovation process and determines some important activities in the innovation process. This study provides suggestions on how to balance business growth and investment in sustainable innovation in order to achieve long-term development of the enterprise, and foreshadows possible challenges and important activities. This study also provides guidance for the government and other authorities on how to encourage and support NBT development.