Beyond the rhetoric and the veil of mist of social innovation in tourism

Introduction

In recent years social innovation in tourism (hereinafter, SIT) (Sorensen, 2007; Wirth et al. 2023) has emerged as a key topic in tourism innovation studies (Hjalager, 2010, 2015; Trunfio & Campana, 2019), even though its systematisation remains still left pending. As demonstrated by a systematic review on the topic carried out as a part of the initiatives of the Next Generation EU programme - where we coordinate a track dedicated to the relationship between social innovation and tourism - this is an emerging research field still in formation, where different theoretical and disciplinary perspectives are compared and present predominantly exploratory researches. Moreover, sociological contributions to this topic seem to appear quite limited compared to those of other disciplinary fields (management, business and economics). 

From this study, it also emerges that SIT acts in continuity with the activation strategies of social innovation (Oosterlyink et al., 2019; Alberio & Moralli, 2021) and social investment (Hemerijck, 2017) as a strategy to promote entrepreneurial activation and participation in the labour market of disadvantaged individuals or target groups, as well as a strategy to promote local economic development (Chiodo et al., 2019). Furthermore, the employment and economic potential attributed to tourism tends to obscure the problems caused by tourism (Alegre & Berbegal-Mirabent, 2016), reducing the ability to create the conditions to prevent future problems in territories, which undertake paths of intensification of tourism flows also with social objectives.

Moreover, SIT fosters stronger connections to enterprising communities, playing a crucial role in shaping entrepreneurial ecosystems. By facilitating collaboration between local actors—including social enterprises, cooperatives, and small businesses—SIT supports the creation of sustainable economic opportunities. The role of social entrepreneurship within SIT initiatives is particularly relevant, as it not only drives economic regeneration in both undertourism and overtourism contexts but also ensures that tourism- related activities align with community values and long-term sustainability goals. Social enterprises often act as intermediaries, balancing economic viability with social impact, while fostering innovation through participatory governance and inclusive business models. 

Finally, a profound use of local community rhetoric emerges. The community is indicated as a beneficiary of local development (Malek & Costa, 2015; Sarkki, 2022) and as a protagonist in the design and implementation of SIT initiatives (Elias & Barbero, 2021; Nurhasanah & Van den Broeck, 2023), however it is rarely in-depth and investigated (Wirth et al. 2023), reducing the reflective potential of empirical research. As a result, there is an “urgent need” to study the SIT phenomenon through a sociological lens, in order to offer its contribution to the study of the multiple dynamics yet not unveiled.

List of Topic Areas

In order to make a contribution to the growth and consolidation of SIT as a field of study, with this call we urge authors to contribute with theoretical, empirical and literature review contributions that reflexively explore some of the following themes:

• At the origins of social innovation. Poverty and problems of access to resources: tourism as a solution or tourism as a cause?
• The protagonists of social innovation. What exactly is "local community"? And how does it participate in SIT processes?
• The ways of producing social innovation. Collaboration and conflicts: alternatives or integral parts of SIT processes?
• SIT in contexts of undertourism and overtourism: convergences and divergences.
• Cultural heritage and social innovation in tourism. The role of arts and crafts in social innovation in tourism: actors, initiatives, outcomes.
• Social entrepreneurship and tourism. The contribution of social enterprises in overtourism and undertourism contexts.
• Rural tourism and social innovation. Places, practices, outcomes.
• Sustainability and social innovation in tourism. Are tourism and sustainability compatible?
• Other topics not expressly mentioned will also be accepted if capable of shedding new light on SIT studies.

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Key Dates

Closing date for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026