Knowledge and synergy as drivers of regional innovation in tourism: the case of the Tourism Observatory of the Federal District, Brazil

Souza, Luis Henrique; Pena, Luiz Carlos Spiller; Moesch, Marutschka Martini

doi:10.7784/rbtur.v11i1.1123

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Articles • Rev. Bras. Pesq. Tur. 11 (1) • Apr 2017 • https://doi.org/10.7784/rbtur.v11i1.1123 copy

Knowledge and synergy as drivers of regional innovation in tourism: the case of the Tourism Observatory of the Federal District, Brazil

El conocimiento y la sinergia como inductores de la innovación regional en el turismo: el caso del Observatorio de turismo en el Distrito Federal (Brasil)

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

Tourism is the place for innovation. The reason for this pragmatic sentence comes from the multiplicity of competitive scenarios that contextualize companies and tourism destinations. From the current paradigms of competitiveness, satisfaction and loyalty of tourists, and the offer of value experiences, it is noticed a panoply of innovations that perform a strategic role on managing tourism destinations. In this sense, this article aims to conduct a discussion about regional innovation on tourism with emphasis on synergy and shared knowledge among stakeholders involved with tourism activities. The methodology employed consists of literature review about innovation in tourism and regional innovation in tourism and it is also used the qualitative research approach at a case study which addresses the implementation of the Tourism Observatory of the Federal District (Brazil), as practice-based governance in that region. The results show that the participation of public sector and educational institutions, as well as the cooperation between stakeholders involved within this governance design, were key drivers for creating an innovative platform for the tourism management at the destination.

Keywords:
Tourism; Regional Innovation; Knowledge; Synergy; Observatory; Federal District.

Political and public dimensions	Variables	Analysis
	Public Policy	[...] there is no formal planning model for the tourism sector. Also, in the moment of this research the instance of local governance represented by CONDETUR - Tourism Development Council was inactive.
	Regional cooperation	[...] there is no integrated tourism development plan of the region which the destination belongs.
	Monitoring	The monitoring of economic, social and environmental impacts generated from the tourism activity is not carried out [...]. There is neither a system or set of indicators of sector performance, nor a technical inventory of tourism statistics.

Associação Nacional de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação em Turismo Rua Silveira Martins, 115 - cj. 71, Centro, Cep: 01019-000, Tel: 11 3105-5370 - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
E-mail: edrbtur@gmail.com

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[1] Luis Henrique Souza Graduated in Tourism by the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Master's degree in Tourism from the Master's Program in Tourism Management and Development, University of Aveiro, Portugal. PhD student in Tourism, University of Aveiro (Doctoral Program in Tourism). Worked as tourism analyst and he is a professor of Specialization Courses at the Center for Excellence in Tourism, University of Brasília (CET-UnB); coordinator of the Tourism Program, Federal University of Sergipe and currently he is Adjunct Professor in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism, UFPE. Email: luisrce@yahoo.com.br

Topics	Authors
Innovation, production, and transference of knowledge	Scott and Laws (2006) address the social perspective of knowledge transfer, identifying relationships of power and control in destinations by tour operators; Gibbons (1994) argues that governments must act as facilitators of the knowledge production processes, improving the permeability between institutions; Cooke et al. (1997) conclude that learning represents a strategic element for regional innovation systems and they argue for the strengthening of regional capacity to promote systemic learning and interactive innovation. Hjalager (2010) argues that when tourism organizations engage in collaborative structures, their performance and capacity for innovation increase considerably. In tourism, the knowledge is transferred through four systemic levels: (i) trade, (ii) technological; (iii) infrastructural (represented by public bodies); (iv) regulatory.
The use of innovation in tourism	Hjalager (2010) indicates that innovation in tourism can be placed in the following categories: product or service, refer to changes observed by the customer; process, which entails new flows of action aiming to promote efficiency and productivity, extensively using Information and Communication Technology (ICT); managerial innovation, within the scope of leadership and people management, improving the workplace, retaining talent, and encouraging the dissemination of knowledge; management innovation, concerning innovation in the relationship marketing between businesses and consumers. Aldebert et al. (2011) point out that innovations in tourism have application in the development of new services, in tourism companies' processes and in tourism marketing, in the tourism distribution channels.
The use of technology in tourism	Buhalis and O`Connor (2006) highlight the Internet as the mode for disseminating tourism e-commerce and the use of interactive technologies of social media which influence the consumption behavior of tourists, with impact in the co-creation of value and e-WOM (electronic Word of Mouth). Hjalager (2013) posits that smartphones and GPS have improved the tourists' mobility and that social media facilitate the exchange of information between tourists.
Smart tourism destinations	Wang et al. (2013) carried out an empirical study in 33 cities in China and concluded that smart tourism destinations, besides offering "cloud services" and "Internet of Things", should use digital technologies to co-create the tourism experience in the destination. Minazzi (2015) underline the importance of the online ubiquitous connectivity of smart destinations since smartphones provide different types of services which can enrich the tourism experience, particularly in terms of location-based apps, guides, and leisure services sharing.
Regional innovation in tourism	Cooke et al. (1997) have identified the key dimensions in a regional innovation system in order to operationalize the concept. Brandão (2014) highlights the relevance of training and knowledge for regional innovation systems, wherein knowledge transfer can be originated both in formal or informal networks. Carson et al. (2014) point out some existing barriers in the engagement of local systems of tourism in regional innovation processes, such as the culture of isolation, issues related to the use of knowledge transfer, resistance to interaction.

Variable	Tourism Statistical System
ACTION 1	To create a system of monitoring of tourism in the Federal District (Tourism Observatory)
DESCRIPTION	To develop and implement a tourism monitoring system in the Federal District to subsidize the planning, the management, the evaluation, and monitoring the tourism activity
GOALS	To create and implement a tourism monitoring system in the FD until December 2010 To implement a monitoring system until October 2011 To support the creation of the Tourism Research Institute of the Federal District