The innovation model and upgrade path of digitalization driven tourism industry: Longitudinal case study of OCT

Abstract

Unlike the progressive growth of developed countries that have transitioned from large-scale tourism to intelligent tourism, China's tourism sector exhibits characteristics of short-term leapfrog strategic change. However, existing research lacks a sufficient theoretical explanation of how China's tourism industry can achieve this leapfrog strategic change. Based on a longitudinal case study, this study finds that digital supplementation and intelligent innovation constitute two key stages in Chinese enterprises' leap-forward strategic change from large-scale park tourism to intelligent tourism from 2012 to 2020. Digitalization is an important path for Chinese enterprises to realize transformation and upgrading, mainly through digital acceleration and reconstruction learning mechanisms, to drive the double leap in strategic change and tourism industry model innovation. In the context of a mismatch between digital technology and managerial skills, this study provides a theoretical model for firms to implement a leap-forward strategic change in intelligent tourism. It not only supports strategic change theory and organizational learning but also provides management illumination for digital rural construction, national tourism intelligence policy development, and enterprise intelligent tourism reform practice.