User-Driven Innovations in Tourism enhanced by Social Media

Consumers modify, adapt and create products closely fitting their needs and wants. The collective intelligence and available tool-kits facilitated by ICT, successfully supports the development of user-driven innovation. Also, forms of user-driven innovation have started to emerge in the tourism industry. We see many forms of user-generated content in forms of informal discussions, consumers creating structured reviews, promotion through self-created advertising videos and modification of products and distribution of innovations. Practitioners need to understand which tool-kits or context-depending factors are necessary to provide support for user-driven innovations in social media platforms for tourists. Therefore, this research project aims to provide companies insights into the different aspects of consumers’ creativity resulting in user-driven innovation practices. Secondly, the project will provide recommendations on how companies can facilitate user-driven innovations by designing effective social media spaces. The overall aim of project is to bridge the gap in literature on innovation and the integrated use of social media platforms in the field of tourism.