This research examines the proposition that enhancing sustainable innovation can be particularly effective when the focus is on strategy, machine learning, and digitalization. The study specifically targets the complex interactions among strategic alignment (SA), sustainability-oriented innovation (SOI), and digital transformation (DT) within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Saudi Arabia, particularly within the service sector. A moderated mediation framework was constructed to analyze the influence of SA on SOI, the mediating role of DT, and the moderating effect of strategic orientation (SO). Data were collected through structured surveys from 339 SMEs using a quantitative research design and a cross-sectional methodology. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique was employed to validate the proposed framework and hypotheses. The results indicate that SA significantly boosts SOI, with DT acting as a strong mediator in this connection. Furthermore, SO moderates the relationships between SA and SOI, SA and DT, and DT and SOI, highlighting its essential role in shaping the dynamics of sustainable innovation. These findings emphasize the necessity of aligning strategic initiatives with digital advancements to foster innovation that achieves a balance among economic, social, and environmental objectives. This study contributes to existing literature by filling the research gap regarding SOI and DT in Saudi SMEs and offers practical insights for SMEs facing sustainability challenges. Future research should delve deeper into digital technology configurations, industry-specific contexts, and cross-national applications to improve the applicability of these findings.

Using the SOR paradigm, the current study aims to provide deeper investigations on how to effectively leverage beyond travel motivation and tourist eudaimonic well-being and satisfaction could influence destination loyalty. Based on 524 survey responses of tourists who visited Egypt and the UAE, the PLS-SEM was used for data analysis. It is revealed that travel motivation is predicting tourists’ satisfaction and eudaimonic well-being aspects while the latter ones are contributing to destination loyalty. Furthermore, it is revealed that there is a significant moderating effect of intimacy on interactive relationships between satisfaction, eudaimonic well-being and destination loyalty. Findings are of great value to travel planners, marketers, tour operators, and travel agencies in tailoring their travel packages and planning their marketing activities to focus on meaningful experiences of travellers to enhance their destination loyalty. This study looks at the consequences of travel motivations on eudaimonic well-being of tourists and how this fosters destination loyalty. It also tests the moderating effect of intimacy on the association between eudaimonic well-being and destination loyalty and runs multi-group analysis to highlight the differences in perceptions of Egypt and UAE visitors.