Territorial cooperation networks, based on social innovation processes as new models of hospitality: The case of the historic houses

Abstract

The innovation process is facing significant evolution, and as a consequence, the economy is based on systemic approaches based on interactive processes related to the territories (Brandão, Costa & Buhalis, 2017). In this context, innovation networks are becoming evident as cooperation processes for innovative performance (Brandão et al., 2017). This study, based on the systematic review of the literature and case studies, analyzes the dynamics of tourism innovation networks, as potentiators of regional innovation and territorial development, the case study focuses on housing projects of historical houses, which operate as a network system, as is the case of Albergo Diffuso, a widely studied example (Paniccia & Leoni, 2019). The results show that the social structure, alongside the territory, as a resource to be explored, and patterns of cooperation conceive of impacts on regional innovation through the new social relations leveraged by social innovation (Mulgan, 2007), as a model of local social innovation (Bacon, Faizullah, Mulgan & Woodcraft, 2008). It is concluded that tourist destinations operating in networks eventually achieve a higher performance in terms of innovation and that the development of clusters facilitates the development of regional economies (Breda, Costa & Costa, 2006).