Author(s)

KARIYE CIGIR

Abstract

Living Lab is a user centred open-innovation research concept and environment that integrates concurrent research and innovation processes. The innovation capacity of living labs is discussed in academia mainly in sectors like Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Smart Cities, and Social Innovation. In travel and tourism, living labs so far are analysed in regard to destination management to boost the attractiveness of rural areas and agri-tourism activities in countries like Bulgaria and Canada. This paper aims to apply the living labs method in the context of sustainable and responsible tourism. Therefore this study concentrates on model creation, mainly of living labs in tourism in general, and then zooms in to the application of living labs in the particular case of a leisure resort and hotel. By visualizing different models of living lab implementation, these findings can contribute to a pragmatic approach to promote the understanding of the living lab environment and its methodology and the elegant implementation of living labs in general. Two key elements of living labs in the hospitality business, firstly the embedded CSR supply chain for co-creation and partner involvement and secondly engaging hotel guests in user involvement, will be highlighted in order to show the potential and capability of living lab development for creating and maintaining sustainable tourism innovations.

Keywords

living lab, stimulating innovation capability, corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainability, hospitality, model development, model creation