Article,
Innovation activity in the hotel industry: Evidence from Balearic Islands
Tourism Management, 26 (6): 851-865 (2005/12)
Abstract
The paper provides empirical evidence on technological activity in
the Spanish service sector, in particular for the tourist accommodation
in the Balearics. The study wants to fulfil the lack of analyses
in the field of tourism. Commonly, the study of innovation activity
has been carried out from a manufacture perspective, for that reason
the paper discusses the precise definition of innovation in accommodation
services. The data refer to a large representative sample of hotels
in Balearic Islands (Spain), providing a homogeneous set of information.
The results show as higher-categories hotels are more innovative
than lower-categories hotels; an aggregated measure of technological
innovation presents a rate over the average for hotels that belong
to a chain, and that for hotels under management contract. Half of
innovative companies adjust the human capital skills and abilities.
The hotel industry is a supplier-driven sector that innovates introducing
R&D embodied technology rather than undertaking internal R&D activities.
