The purpose of this paper is to analyse the application of Social Network Analysis (SNA) to the Italian tourism system. The research question is: do relationships among tourist enterprises affect the organizational asset of the Italian travel system? The research takes as unit of analysis the Italian travel agencies and tour operators system and represents quite a significant disclosure for organizational theses because it offers a different view over the structure and governance of a hospitality intermediaries’ network. SNA is helpful indetecting genuine proficiency and therefore in foreseeing possible losses determined by poor or inefficient configurations. Furthermore, it will help delineate new roles within the organizational networks and evaluate the relation between formal and informal organizational structures. This paper provides a structural analysis of the Italian travel agencies network and highlights its self-organization characteristics (typical of a complex system) that lead to the development of informal communities. The methods of network science proved useful and effective and, together with more traditional approaches and a qualitative knowledge of the system, can provide a deeper and more extensive understanding of the system.

The aim of this research is to analyze the factors influencing visit intention and destination image in post-Covid-19 crisis recovery. In post-crisis recovery, the factors influencing visit intention are physical, socio-psychological and financial factors. A total of 426 respondents were selected and analyzed using correlation and multiple regression analyses. The findings demonstrate that physical factors are the main factors that influence tourists’ visit intention. Additionally, destination image significantly affects visit intention and significantly mediates the relationship between the factors and visit intention. All this inevitably affects the organizational structure of the tourist destination.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of how quantitative analysis methods have been and can be used to improve the competitiveness of tourism destination. The focus of the study is social network analysis (SNA). Design/methodology/approach: The research methodology is qualitative and consists of the review literature relevant to this thesis. This methodology is necessary to give an account of the methods and the techniques adopted for the data collection used in other economic sectors. Findings: SNA is needed to analyze the creation and configuration of communities of practice within destination and to identify possible barriers to effective interaction. Essentially, it is a complex adaptive socio-economic system. It shares many (if not all) of the characteristics usually associated with such entities, namely, non-linear relationships among the components, self-organization and emergence of organizational structures, robustness to external shocks. Research limitations/implications: The most important limit of this paper is that all the results presented here do not concern a single case study. Future research studies will provide a larger number of cases and examples to give the necessary validation to the findings presented here. Practical implications: This paper provides a view into the network of relationships that may give tourism organization managers a strong leverage to improve the flow of information and to target opportunities where this flow may have the most impact on regulatory or business activities. Originality/value: SNA can help to detect actual expertise and consequently project the potential losses deriving from an inefficient flow of knowledge. In addition, the authors will be able to define roles in the organizational networks and make an evaluation of informal organizational structures over the formal ones. Traditional organizational theories lack a concrete correspondence with mathematical studies and in this respect the authors sought to identify a correspondence.

Purpose: This paper aims to measure the intention to use digital marketing strategies to enhance the performance of tourism business as well as the extent of digital renovation applications in tourism for sustainable business in a new normal era.Design/methodology/approach: This paper is an insight from the existing relevant literature on the tourism business from time immemorial. The conceptual framework of this study is designed based on previous studies of digital marketing practices for tourism businesses. Furthermore, data were collected from 270 respondents, of which the valid response rate is 72.97%. Partial least square (PLS)-structural equation modeling (SEM) is used to validate the conceptual framework and hypotheses testing.Findings: Among the nine hypotheses path, seven were supported. This study result shows that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, social media marketing and tourism business performance are critical factors for adopting digital marketing in tourism. Thus, tourism service providers' intention has a positive impact to meet the expectation of tourists and adoption of digital marketing.Research limitations/implications: The study's results will assist tourism researchers and service providers in understanding an authentic relationship between digital practices of tourism business and tourist satisfaction. In addition, the legacy of tourism business through digital marketing empowers the owner and community.Originality/value: The study is the first to explore the relationship between tourism business performance and digital marketing during the new normal era for the empowerment of local community and expanded business in tourism sector.

Purpose: This study explores the connection between intellectual capital (IC) components and the competitive advantage (CA) of the hospitality sector in Jordan through the mediating role of service innovation as well as the moderating role of big data analytics capabilities.Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire from the hospitality sector with a sample of 402 respondents. Data were analysed using SmartPLS, a bootstrapping technique was used to analyse the data. The mediating effect for service innovation and the moderating effect for big data analytics capabilities were performed.Findings: The results showed that the proposed moderated-mediation model was accepted because the relationships between the constructs were statistically significant. The results of the data analysis supported a positive relationship between human capital, structural capital and relational capital and the CA as well as a mediating effect of service innovation. The findings confirmed that there is a moderating relationship for big data analytics capabilities between service innovation and CA. The results illustrate the importance of IC and service innovation in enhancing CA in the Jordanian hospitality sector in light of the big data analytics capabilities.Research limitations/implications: This cross-sectional study provides a snapshot at a given moment in time, a methodological limitation that affects the generalisation of the limitation's results, and the results are limited to one sector.Originality/value: This research developed a theoretical model to incorporate IC components, service innovation, big data analytics capabilities and CA. This paper offers new theoretical and practical contributions that add value to the innovation and CA literature by testing the moderated-mediation model of these constructs in the hospitality sector which has been greatly affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study is distinguished from other studies by highlighting the role of IC and service innovation in enhancing CA as service innovation contributes to the formation of many organisational advantages in the Jordanian hospitality sector.