The Role of Innovation Activities in Tourism and Regional Growth in Europe

Tourism plays a crucial role for national economies throughout the world. In Europe, international tourism receipts were almost three times higher in the late 1990s than they were in the late 1980s. Tourism has great potential as regards contributing to the achievements of several major EU objectives, such as economic growth, employment, sustainable development and economic and social cohesion. The importance of innovation was long underestimated in service and tourism activities. Successful innovation, as for instance innovation that is also profitable to the tourism firm in a competitive market, must increase the value of the whole tourism product. The production and the dissemination of new technologies has been the subject of much research. This paper illustrates why technological innovation is considered as a major force in tourism industry. It also attempts to analyze the impact of technological innovation and the implications on regional growth of member states.