Knowledge Networks and Tourism

The receipt of knowledge is a key ingredient by which the tourism sector can adjust and adapt to its dynamic environment. However although its importance has long been recognised the fragmentation within the sector, largely as a result of it being comprised of small and medium sized businesses, makes understanding knowledge management challenging. This book applies knowledge management and social network theories to the business of tourism to shed light on successful operations of tourism knowledge networks. It contributes specifically to understanding a network perspective of the tourism sector, the information needs of tourism businesses, social network dynamics of tourism business operation, knowledge flows within the tourism sector and the transformation of the tourism sector through knowledge networks. Social Network Analysis is applied to fully explore the growth and maintenance of tourism knowledge networks and the relationships between tourism sector stakeholders in relation to their knowledge requirements. Knowledge Networks and Tourism will be valuable reading for all those interested in successful operations of tourism knowledge networks.

1. Introduction Michelle McLeod and Roger Vaughan 2. Tourism-planning network knowledge dynamics Dianne Dredge 3. Social network dynamics and innovation in small tourism companies Flemming Sørensen and Lars Fuglsang 4. Tourism networks, knowledge dynamics and co-creation Gareth Shaw 5. Managing tourism knowledge: concepts and approaches Chris Cooper 6. Socially-based inter-business knowledge sharing: a case study Michelle McLeod, Roger Vaughan and Jonathan Edwards 7. Diffusion of tourism knowledge through stakeholder networks Noel Scott and Adao Flores 8. Knowledge management and diffusion: the network paradigm Rodolfo Baggio 9. Data collection for social network analysis in tourism research Dimitris Christopoulos and Florian Aubke 10. Analyzing inter-business knowledge sharing in the tourism sector Michelle McLeod 11. Conclusion Michelle McLeod and Roger Vaughan

Michelle McLeod is Lecturer in Tourism Management at the University of the West Indies. Her tourism industry experience spans over twenty years. Her present research interests are in the subject areas of tourism, knowledge management, knowledge networks, social networks, partnerships, policy and productivity, tourism policy, and tourism planning and development. Roger Vaughan is an economist who is currently Professor of Tourism Economics at Bournemouth University. His research has focused on the economic impacts of different leisure time activities (tourism, the Arts and countryside recreation) and on strategies, tactics and the evaluation of tourism development in rural and urban areas. He has also undertaken studies of the use and adoption of information technology in tourism. He is a Fellow of the Tourism Society.