IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v17y2020i15p5389-d390314.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How Authenticity and Tradition Shift into Sustainability and Innovation: Evidence from Italian Agritourism

Author

Listed:
  • Pamela Palmi

    (Department of Economics and Management, University of Salento, Ecotekne, Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy)

  • Greta Enrica Lezzi

    (Department of Lecce, Regional Agency for the Prevention and Protection of the Environment, Via Miglietta 2, 73100 Lecce, Italy)

Abstract

This study investigates the topic of innovation strategies based on tradition in the wake of sustainability, in the agritourism sector, as derived from the phenomenon of multifunctionality in agriculture. The results reveal that the tangible and intangible resources that originate from tradition are drivers for innovation. The research highlights how tradition, as grounded on diverse foundations, is able to generate novel products and services stemming from an innovative arrangement of past events, particularly the identity of a place, which brings out its authenticity and makes it even more attractive. In this paper, we delve into the multifaceted outcomes that tangible and intangible traditions have on the innovation and distinctive standing of this rising accommodation offer with regard to post-productivism agriculture, and how this is accomplished while also looking for sustainability. The sourced dataset is based on a qualitative investigation of 10 cases in the Salento area of Puglia, a region of southern Italy. Tradition-grounded strategies proved to have several viable routes leading to innovation and bear positive impacts on the territory and the creation of value, yielding significant results both for scholars and practitioners.

Suggested Citation

  • Pamela Palmi & Greta Enrica Lezzi, 2020. "How Authenticity and Tradition Shift into Sustainability and Innovation: Evidence from Italian Agritourism," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-23, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:15:p:5389-:d:390314
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/15/5389/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/15/5389/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Carlisle, Sheena & Kunc, Martin & Jones, Eleri & Tiffin, Scott, 2013. "Supporting innovation for tourism development through multi-stakeholder approaches: Experiences from Africa," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 59-69.
    2. Bruce Kogut & Udo Zander, 1992. "Knowledge of the Firm, Combinative Capabilities, and the Replication of Technology," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 3(3), pages 383-397, August.
    3. Fujun Shen & Stuart P. Cottrell & Kenneth F.D. Hughey & Keith Morrison, 2009. "Agritourism sustainability in rural mountain areas of China: a community perspective," International Journal of Business and Globalisation, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 3(2), pages 123-145.
    4. Tew, Christine & Barbieri, Carla, 2012. "The perceived benefits of agritourism: The provider’s perspective," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 215-224.
    5. Fleming, Lee & Sorenson, Olav, 2001. "Technology as a complex adaptive system: evidence from patent data," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(7), pages 1019-1039, August.
    6. Weitzman, Martin L, 1996. "Hybridizing Growth Theory," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 86(2), pages 207-212, May.
    7. Phillip, Sharon & Hunter, Colin & Blackstock, Kirsty, 2010. "A typology for defining agritourism," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 754-758.
    8. Michele Gorgoglione & Antonio Messeni Petruzzelli & Umberto Panniello, 2018. "Innovation through tradition in the Italian coffee industry: an analysis of customers’ perceptions," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 12(3), pages 661-682, July.
    9. Laura Broccardo & Francesca Culasso & Elisa Truant, 2017. "Unlocking Value Creation Using an Agritourism Business Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-26, September.
    10. Eide, Dorthe & Fuglsang, Lars & Sundbo, Jon, 2017. "Management challenges with the maintenance of tourism experience concept innovations: Toward a new research agenda," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 452-463.
    11. Ron Boschma & Ron Martin, 2010. "The Aims and Scope of Evolutionary Economic Geography," Chapters, in: Ron Boschma & Ron Martin (ed.), The Handbook of Evolutionary Economic Geography, chapter 1, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    12. Antonio Messeni Petruzzelli & Tommaso Savino, 2015. "Reinterpreting Tradition to Innovate: The Case of Italian Haute Cuisine," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(8), pages 677-702, November.
    13. Lee Fleming, 2001. "Recombinant Uncertainty in Technological Search," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 47(1), pages 117-132, January.
    14. James G. March, 1991. "Exploration and Exploitation in Organizational Learning," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 2(1), pages 71-87, February.
    15. Deborah Che & Ann Veeck & Gregory Veeck, 2005. "Sustaining production and strengthening the agritourism product: Linkages among Michigan agritourism destinations," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 22(2), pages 225-234, June.
    16. Ron Boschma & Ron Martin (ed.), 2010. "The Handbook of Evolutionary Economic Geography," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 12864.
    17. Michał Roman & Monika Roman & Piotr Prus, 2020. "Innovations in Agritourism: Evidence from a Region in Poland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-21, June.
    18. Antonio Messeni Petruzzelli & Angelo Natalicchio & Vito Albino, 2020. "Moving Ahead Looking Back: The Strategic Role of Tradition," International Studies in Entrepreneurship, in: Giuseppina Passiante (ed.), Innovative Entrepreneurship in Action, chapter 0, pages 27-35, Springer.
    19. Lori Rosenkopf & Paul Almeida, 2003. "Overcoming Local Search Through Alliances and Mobility," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 49(6), pages 751-766, June.
    20. Reeder, Richard J. & Brown, Dennis M., 2005. "Recreation, Tourism, and Rural Well-Being," Economic Research Report 7220, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    21. Doris Gomezelj Omerzel, 2016. "The Impact of Entrepreneurial Characteristics and Organisational Culture on Innovativeness in Tourism Firms," Managing Global Transitions, University of Primorska, Faculty of Management Koper, vol. 14(1 (Spring), pages 93-110.
    22. Ann Majchrzak & Lynne P. Cooper & Olivia E. Neece, 2004. "Knowledge Reuse for Innovation," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 50(2), pages 174-188, February.
    23. Camisón, César & Monfort-Mir, Vicente M., 2012. "Measuring innovation in tourism from the Schumpeterian and the dynamic-capabilities perspectives," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 776-789.
    24. Nelson, Richard R & Winter, Sidney G, 1982. "The Schumpeterian Tradeoff Revisited," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 72(1), pages 114-132, March.
    25. Frans A. J. Van den Bosch & Henk W. Volberda & Michiel de Boer, 1999. "Coevolution of Firm Absorptive Capacity and Knowledge Environment: Organizational Forms and Combinative Capabilities," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 10(5), pages 551-568, October.
    26. Chen, Hung-Bin & Yeh, Shih-Shuo & Huan, Tzung-Cheng, 2014. "Nostalgic emotion, experiential value, brand image, and consumption intentions of customers of nostalgic-themed restaurants," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(3), pages 354-360.
    27. Ron Boschma, 2005. "Proximity and Innovation: A Critical Assessment," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(1), pages 61-74.
    28. Teece, David J., 2006. "Reflections on "Profiting from Innovation"," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(8), pages 1131-1146, October.
    29. Giacomo Negro & Michael T. Hannan & Hayagreeva Rao, 2011. "Category Reinterpretation and Defection: Modernism and Tradition in Italian Winemaking," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(6), pages 1449-1463, December.
    30. Patrizia Silvestrelli, 2013. "Tourism development through heritage enhancement and hospitality innovation," International Journal of Globalisation and Small Business, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 5(1/2), pages 20-33.
    31. Terry Marsden & Jo Banks & Gillian Bristow, 2002. "The Social Management of Rural Nature: Understanding Agrarian-Based Rural Development," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 34(5), pages 809-825, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Alieh Abadi & Mehdi Khakzand, 2022. "Extracting the qualitative dimensions of agritourism for the sustainable development of Charqoli village in Iran: the promotion of vernacular entrepreneurship and environment-oriented preservation per," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(11), pages 12609-12671, November.
    2. George Moise & Agatha Popescu & Iulian Alexandru Bratu & Ion Răducuță & Bogdan Gabriel Nistoreanu & Mirela Stanciu, 2023. "Can We Talk about Smart Tourist Villages in Mărginimea Sibiului, Romania?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-23, May.
    3. Schmidt, Claudia & Chase, Lisa & Barbieri, Carla & Rilla, Ellie & Knights, Doolarie Singh & Thilmany, Dawn & Tomas, Stacy & Dickes, Lori & Cornelisse, Sarah & Lamie, R. David & Callahan, Rachael & Geo, 2022. "Linking Research and Practice: The Role of Extension on Agritourism Development in the United States," Applied Economics Teaching Resources (AETR), Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 4(3), August.
    4. Barbara Zanetti & Milena Verrascina & Francesco Licciardo & Giuseppe Gargano, 2022. "Agritourism and Farms Diversification in Italy: What Have We Learnt from COVID-19?," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-21, August.
    5. Eugenia Panfiluk, 2023. "In Search of Innovation Barriers to Tourist Destinations—Indications for Organizations Managing Destinations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-22, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zakaryan, Arusyak, 2023. "Organizational knowledge networks, search and exploratory invention," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    2. Peeters, T.J.G., 2013. "External knowledge search and use in new product development," Other publications TiSEM 300ebb34-b090-4210-b95e-f, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    3. Tubiana, Matteo & Miguelez, Ernest & Moreno, Rosina, 2022. "In knowledge we trust: Learning-by-interacting and the productivity of inventors," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(1).
    4. Jatinder S. Sidhu & Harry R. Commandeur & Henk W. Volberda, 2007. "The Multifaceted Nature of Exploration and Exploitation: Value of Supply, Demand, and Spatial Search for Innovation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(1), pages 20-38, February.
    5. Yoichi Matsumoto, 2013. "Heterogeneous Combinations of Knowledge Elements: How the Knowledge Base Structure Impacts Knowledge-related Outcomes of a Firm," Discussion Paper Series DP2013-15, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University.
    6. Martin Kalthaus, 2020. "Knowledge recombination along the technology life cycle," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 30(3), pages 643-704, July.
    7. David H. Hsu & Kwanghui Lim, 2014. "Knowledge Brokering and Organizational Innovation: Founder Imprinting Effects," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(4), pages 1134-1153, August.
    8. Yang, Hongyan & Steensma, H. Kevin, 2014. "When do firms rely on their knowledge spillover recipients for guidance in exploring unfamiliar knowledge?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(9), pages 1496-1507.
    9. Orsatti, Gianluca & Quatraro, Francesco & Pezzoni, Michele, 2020. "The antecedents of green technologies: The role of team-level recombinant capabilities," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(3).
    10. Adam Whittle, 2017. "Local and Non-Local Knowledge Typologies: Technological Complexity in the Irish Knowledge Space," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 1728, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Nov 2017.
    11. Madeline K. Kneeland & Melissa A. Schilling & Barak S. Aharonson, 2020. "Exploring Uncharted Territory: Knowledge Search Processes in the Origination of Outlier Innovation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 31(3), pages 535-557, May.
    12. Bruno Cirillo, 2019. "External Learning Strategies and Technological Search Output: Spinout Strategy and Corporate Invention Quality," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(2), pages 361-382, March.
    13. Corradini, Carlo & De Propris, Lisa, 2017. "Beyond local search: Bridging platforms and inter-sectoral technological integration," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 196-206.
    14. Sai Yayavaram & Manish K. Srivastava & MB Sarkar, 2018. "Role of search for domain knowledge and architectural knowledge in alliance partner selection," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(8), pages 2277-2302, August.
    15. Avimanyu Datta, 2016. "Antecedents To Radical Innovations: A Longitudinal Look At Firms In The Information Technology Industry By Aggregation Of Patents," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 20(07), pages 1-31, October.
    16. Mohammadi, Ali & Broström, Anders & Franzoni, Chiara, 2015. "Work Force Composition and Innovation: How Diversity in Employees’ Ethnical and Disciplinary Backgrounds Facilitates Knowledge Re-combination," Working Paper Series in Economics and Institutions of Innovation 413, Royal Institute of Technology, CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies.
    17. Alieh Abadi & Mehdi Khakzand, 2022. "Extracting the qualitative dimensions of agritourism for the sustainable development of Charqoli village in Iran: the promotion of vernacular entrepreneurship and environment-oriented preservation per," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(11), pages 12609-12671, November.
    18. Burcharth, Ana Luiza Lara de Araújo & Lettl, Christopher & Ulhøi, John Parm, 2015. "Extending organizational antecedents of absorptive capacity: Organizational characteristics that encourage experimentation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 90(PA), pages 269-284.
    19. Hundt, Christian & Holtermann, Linus & Steeger, Jonas & Bersch, Johannes, 2019. "Cluster externalities, firm capabilities, and the recessionary shock: How the macro-to-micro-transition shapes firm performance during stable times and times of crisis," ZEW Discussion Papers 19-008, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    20. Alessandra Colombelli & Francesco Quatraro, 2013. "New Firm Formation and the properties of local knowledge bases: Evidence from Italian NUTS 3 regions," Working Papers hal-00858989, HAL.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:15:p:5389-:d:390314. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.