March 23, 2025 • 25 mins
In this thought-provoking episode of the Tourism Hub Podcast, host Despina Karatzias explores the evolution of tourism and the complex interplay between technology and societal change. Despina delves into the concept of systems thinking, urging listeners to look beyond superficial solutions to understand the deeper dynamics at play in the tourism industry. She challenges the notion that technology alone drives change, introducing three critical frameworks: technological determinism, the social construction of technology, and actor-network theory. Each perspective offers a unique lens through which to examine how innovation is perceived and implemented within the tourism sector.
Listeners will gain practical strategies to audit their own innovation stories, map their networks, and challenge deterministic views of technology. Despina emphasises the importance of long-term thinking in shaping sustainable tourism practices that benefit communities and environments alike. This episode is a clarion call for tourism professionals to embrace their role as innovators, shaping the future of the industry with intention and purpose.
00:30 - A Journey from 1995 to Today
03:31 - Exploring Systems Thinking in Tourism
05:58 - The Real Meaning of Innovation
10:15 - Technological Paradigms and Tourism
19:04 - Practical Steps for Tourism Innovators
Connect with Despina Karatzias:
Website: Institute of Excellence
LinkedIn: Despina Karatzias
Instagram: @despinakaratzias
Follow us on social media for updates:
Facebook: Institute of Excellence | Tourism Hub Podcast
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Show hosted by Despina Karatzias and brought to you by Tourism Hub in association with Institute Of Excellence.
Stay curious, stay connected, and keep creating and innovating with purpose!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
>> Despina Karatzias (00:05):
Welcome to the Tourism Hub Podcast, a podcast
devoted to you and your excellence,
providing inspiration and education for
the entrepreneurs, experience makers and
excellent seekers of our industry to take
your tourism business and career to a whole new
level. Relax.
(00:29):
Imagine this. It's 1995.
You want to book a holiday in Australia? What do
you do? You can probably call a travel agent,
flip through a glossy brochure, maybe even
post a check to confirm your booking.
It's slow, but it works.
Now, fast forward 30 years to
(00:50):
today. You can pull out your phone, browse
endless options, read reviews, and
confirm everything in minutes.
So what changed? It's
tempting to say technology, but that's
only part of the story. The
real story is far more complex
(01:10):
and far more human.
My name is Despina Karatias, your proud
host of the Tourism Hub Podcast, and welcome
to episode 68. For those of
you who have been following the show and know I've been
a little quiet on the interview front with a
about one interview a month, of late.
Thank you for sticking with my solo
(01:32):
podcast. I've been deep in the final
semester of my postgraduate studies and
this is the best and most resourceful
way to continue keeping on,
keeping on and showing up and sharing with
you what I'm learning, what's
going on, and how I can best serve
some thinking to you without things
(01:55):
coming to a halt. Studying
online, that solo
feeling is real, especially being an
online student and studying on the opposite side
of the country. I've
craved connection to discuss these
learnings that I'm being exposed to, which
brings me here. And from time to
(02:18):
time I'm using this opportunity
to almost like, you know, they say when.
Best way to learn is to teach. And this
is a great way for me to explore
and kind of capture what I've been learning
into a, digestible and meaningful way.
It helps me deepen my learning and
(02:38):
also in context of our industry,
it also helps me reframe
these paradigms and theories and
research into what can I do with
this for us, for our,
industry. So this podcast
and this episode is something
that really is why I started in the
(03:00):
first place. It's not just somewhere we can talk
tourism. It's a place to process
and share what is being experienced
out there in the world and all of these
learnings along the way. So if
you're curious about innovation,
systems thinking or the future
of our, industry, I have put a show together
(03:22):
to bring you on the journey
of thinking a little bit deeper
with me. Also had the privilege
of attending a session at Victoria
University hosted by the
incredible school for the Visitor
economy, previously led by
the wonderful Dr. Joanne Palak, who we
(03:44):
sadly lost. And I have a
dedicated episode to, our
beautiful Jo. And this
gathering is we will all for those that
knew Jo, it's where we will always think of her and
just know, you know, she would have devoured
what happened, through the week on Wednesday
morning, where we heard from Associate
(04:07):
Professor Peter Stumpf from the
Czech Republic the topic
tourism destinations.
Do complex problems have simple
solutions? Short answer, no,
absolutely not. But what a question
to sit with and ponder. Professor
Stump's research that he shared
(04:30):
with us on Tuesday at Vicuni reminded
us and challenged us to think beyond
surface level solutions. He spoke
about systems thinking,
simplifying complexity to understand
patterns, systems
dynamics, how we model and
learn from dynamic tourism
(04:51):
environments and system, archetypes,
recurring patterns in how problems
evolve and repeat. Whether it's
Venice or regional Victoria, we're
all dealing with the same same but different
challenges. Now, whether
it's beautiful Venice or beautiful regional
Victoria, we're all dealing with the same
(05:13):
same but different challenges. How many
visitors are too many? How many visitors are too
few? Who gets prioritised? Our
local community, our local businesses or
the visitor and the visitor experience?
What does service quality
really look like in a seasonal economy?
(05:33):
And are we solving real problems
or just shifting the burden?
This session was a powerful reminder that
there are no silver bullets in tourism,
just like there are no silver bullets in business.
But there are better questions, better
thinking and better systems that
(05:54):
we can design. We love the
word innovation in business and in
tourism and in many industries. But as
the ABC's Future Tense
podcast points out, our definition
has become dangerously shallow.
This is well worth a listen and I, have included
in the show notes the link to go listen.
(06:16):
It was one of our tasks for this particular
current unit that I'm studying in
my post grad one of two finales
back to centre. Innovation today
is often equated with whatever is shiny,
digital and fast. A new
app, innovation, a new AI
(06:37):
tool, innovation. But
is that really what innovation is?
Or what it should be? I certainly
never thought about it and it fascinated
me. The podcast unpacks
myths. We've bought into that
entrepreneurs are natural innovators. In fact,
they're often risk averse that
(07:00):
technology evolves on its own when
it rarely does. And that tech
companies are driving the future
when most are building on government
funded foundations. And here's
the uncomfortable truth, the kind of
innovation we really need, like
renewable energy, sustainable
(07:22):
tourism systems or climate
Resilience won't come from
quarterly reports or growth at all
costs mindsets. It needs
research and long game thinking.
Take the Internet, arguably
one of the most transformative
innovations in modern history.
(07:44):
Contrary to Silicon Valley
storytelling, the Internet wasn't invented
by a tech startup. It was funded
by the US Department of Defence and
it was built through decades of
publicly funded research involving
universities, government agencies and
(08:05):
academics. And yet today's
tech giants who profit from this
infrastructure go to great
lengths to disguise its origins.
As Future Tense host
Anthony Funnell points out, the five
biggest tech companies are
essentially free riders on
(08:26):
infrastructure created through
taxpayer money.
M Ponder on that one. Which begs
the question, would the Internet even be
built today in a political and economic
environment that's pathologically
averse to risk? This is from the
podcast Whoa. Where
(08:48):
governments focus on election
cycles and very short term election
cycles, and companies focus
on quarterly results and
serving their shareholders.
The answer is likely
no. Just like Professor
Stumpf's use of system
(09:09):
archetypes and dynamics reminds us
that in tourism small
changes can have massive
ripple effects. This is the butterfly
effect in action. And it makes
clear that innovation in
tourism must go beyond
surface level. Tech fixes
(09:31):
in my academic work sounds
so pro acca. Also
known my latest assessment that is due in
approximately two days and thankfully
I've. Yeah I've. I've been chipping away at
it that I'm not going to. You know, I haven't
lost too much sleep.
Well that's a lie. I have. I don't
(09:53):
sleep. I've got these
uni. Academic work.
Anyhow, I've explored
three key paradigms that help
us better understand the relationship
between technology and society.
Stay with me. It's so interesting.
Let's start with technological
(10:15):
determinism. TD
this idea is that technology
drives change and society simply
just adapts. Then there's the
social construction of technology,
also known as or abbreviated as
Scott with one T.
(10:35):
Social construction of technology
argues that society is the one
that shapes how technology is developed,
used and understood. And then we
have actor network theory
as the third paradigm which sees
innovation as a complex web
of relationships between human
(10:57):
and non human actors.
Now lets take something familiar
like online booking platforms.
TD Technological
determinism would say once the
Internet came, these platforms were
inevitable. Technology drove the change
and tourism just had to follow
(11:20):
the social construction of technology.
Scott counters that the
adoption of booking tech depended
on social context. Some
operators embraced it, others
resisted, fearing loss of control or
connection with customers.
That there, my dear friends,
(11:41):
is interpretive flexibility
in action, meaning the same technology
can be understood, valued and
used in entirely different ways,
depending on the beliefs, the
needs and the experiences
of different social groups. It's a
(12:02):
reminder that innovation isn't just about
what a technology can do,
but how people perceive, shape
and negotiate its role within
their specific context. And
then we have anchor network
theory. And going even
(12:22):
further, Actor network theory
says that these platforms are not just
tools, they are actors in a network
of relationships involving algorithms,
review Internet infrastructure,
user behaviour and business
decisions. The platform
is shaped and shapes in real
(12:45):
time. This layered understanding is
essential. Essential if we want to respond to
innovation critically and not just
reactively. As the Future
Tense podcast reminds us, true
innovation today isn't just the next
booking or the next ride sharing app or
itinerary generator. It's the
(13:07):
technologies and systems that can help
preserve life on earth. Like
renewable energy, carbon capture
and regenerative tourism. M models
the kind of innovation that doesn't just
starve tourists, but sustains
the communities and the environments that they
visit. This type of
(13:29):
innovation requires
risk tolerant public
investment, academic freedom
and long term thinking. And that's
why we need to shift the conversation
from shiny tech to
systematic change. Now that
would never have come out of this
(13:49):
mouth or this brain before this
unit. And that is why I am
devouring these studies. I just
wish I had more hours
and days, but never
mind that. We make use with the resources that
we have. And here we are. I
hope you know your day and
(14:12):
your brain is better after kind of unpacking this
and I want to unpack it a little bit more to
get a real grasp on
this for you and for me and for
we.
So let's explore these three
powerful lenses a little bit further.
Technological determinism. The social
(14:32):
construction of technology. An
actor network theory.
Each of these theories help
us ask better questions
about the past, the present and the
possible future of innovation
in tourism. Technological
determinism. The tech made
(14:53):
us do it. TD
tells us that technology
evolves independently and
society simply needs to come for the ride and
adapt. According to this view,
the shift from paper brochures to
online bookings was inevitable.
Once the Internet existed, it was only a
(15:15):
matter of time. This view is
appealing because it's simple. It gives us a
story of progress. But as
scholars like Sally Wyatt and I'll put
her work in the show notes
as well as Ms. Wyatt points
out, it is misleading when
(15:35):
we say AI will change everything. We
overlook the policies, people and power
structures that actually guide how
AI is used. The same applies in
tourism. Online booking platforms didn't
just happen, they were shaped by
regulations, business models,
partnerships and the
(15:57):
evolving visitor expectation.
Scott on the other hand,
the people powering technology,
the societal construction of
technology. Scott
this framework says that
technology doesn't drive change, people
(16:19):
do. It's society that gives
technology its meaning, its role and
ultimately its power. For
example, when online booking systems were
introduced, not every tourism
business jumped on board. Larger
tech savvy operators saw this as an
opportunity and saw booking systems
(16:41):
as the future. But
many small rural businesses
feared loss of control, costs
and complexity. Just this week, for
example, I was delivering a social media
workshop in regional Victoria and the
conversation led back to the
discussion of booking giants and the
(17:02):
impossibility to compete with them
in inverted commas. This is what
Scott calls interpretive
flexibility. Different groups
interpret the same technology in
different ways and it's these
social negotiations, not
just tech upgrades, that shape
(17:25):
adoption. And the
final paradigm or
theory is that technology is
not neutral. The actor
network theory focuses
on the power of tech and
Scott on the power of people,
saying that it's all connected.
(17:48):
Ant views innovations as
a network of relationships
between humans and non humans,
platforms, policies,
algorithms, users and
even reviews as
being all actors
shaping the system. Think about
(18:10):
how an OTA online travel
agent like booking.com
functions. It's not just a tool.
It actively influences
pricing strategies,
traveller behaviours and how
businesses design their offers.
And helps us understand that
(18:31):
innovation is not linear or
isolated. It's negotiated,
evolving and deeply embedded in
social and technical networks.
Alright, we've explored
theories, questions, assumptions and
challenged the way we think about innovation. Well, I
hope we have anyway. It certainly has
(18:52):
to me the last two, three weeks. But now
from these highest
heights, let's get down
to business and let's get practical.
Because if you know me, hello
Despina. In my day to day world,
I do actually. I deliver and
create these practical training and
(19:15):
workshops and mentor businesses one
on one. So you might kind of assume, you know what
that I do in my day to day, but that's basically
it. In my institute of excellence I might
throw in there. InstituteofExcellence.com is where all
that magic happens. I work with many different
clients to bring
training and education and practical
(19:37):
application to life. So
now that we do know each other and I don't assume
anymore, that's what I do. I'm there. I'm not
just here to provoke the thought, I'm here to ignite the
action. And that's what I want
for us as practitioners, as
operators, as business people and
(19:57):
humans of tourism. Strategists and
champion of our industry.
What do we do with this type of knowledge? So here's
what I invite you to take
action on next. Number one, I
invite you to audit your innovation
story. Take a moment, step back
and ask, what technologies have
(20:20):
you adopted in the past five years?
Were those choices proactive
or reactive? Did they
enhance your visitor experience
and the way you do work? Or did they just tick a box
and were doing it because everyone else is doing it?
Innovation doesn't need to be flashy.
(20:41):
Sometimes it's the quiet decision
to train your team on a new system,
create a stronger local partnership or
make your website easier to use.
That could be the decision this week
when you're thinking about doing a bit of an
audit on your
innovative story and
(21:03):
journey. Number two is
map your network.
Inspired by actor network theory.
Something to try. And this is something
I am in the depths of really
auditing my own systems.
Draw a simple diagram of the
(21:23):
human and non human actors
in your business. For
example, your team,
your guests or your customers.
Online booking platforms, review
sites, local councils,
destination marketers, Internet
infrastructure, algorithms.
(21:44):
Yes, really, they're an actor in
our worlds. Where are, the
tensions? Where are the connections?
Where can more collaboration or
better alignment happen? This is
a practical step toward systems
thinking. And once you see your business
(22:05):
as part of a wider network, you'll start
spotting new opportunities. You
always do. You can never not do an exercise
like this and not see
somewhere along the line a
gap, a bottleneck or an
opportunity for your growth. And number
three is challenge the,
(22:26):
determinism. If you've caught yourself
saying, that's just how tech works,
pause, ask why is
this technology being used this way? Who
benefits from it? Is there room to
shape it differently? To fit my business,
to fit my values, to fit my visitors and
my customers better? Because, as
(22:49):
Scott reminds us, technology is not
inevitable. It is shaped by people.
And you, as a tourism leader, are
one of those people. And number four,
look at the long game. Let's be honest.
Most of us are running businesses that need cash flow,
that they need the bookings, they need the bums on
(23:09):
seats. But alongside that, we need
to be asking, what kind of tourism
are we building for the next 10, 20,
50 years? Are we designing
systems that will still serve communities
and protect places long after
the next big thing in tech has
passed? Let's move from
(23:32):
surface innovation to sustainability,
sustainable transformation.
And the final thought, my beautiful
tourism brothers and sisters,
be the innovator you need.
Innovation isn't something that only
lives in labs or apps.
It's something you live every
(23:53):
day in your business and in your career,
or in your studies, in your decision
making, in in your partnerships, in
your own creativity, in
your own way of doing you.
So the next time you hear the word
innovation, don't just think digital.
Think dynamic. Think deliberate.
(24:16):
And most importantly, think about the
future you want to help
shape. Thank you from the
bottom of my heart and my entire
being for being here, for tuning in
to the Tourism Hub podcast. If this
episode lit a little
spark, if it ignited, let's keep the
(24:38):
conversation going, share it with a colleague,
subscribe, review,
reflect in it, with your
team in your next meeting, or reach out. I'd love
to hear what innovation looks like
in your world. Until next time,
stay curious, stay connected, and
keep creating and innovating
(25:00):
with purpose.
Welcome to the Tourism Hub Podcast, a podcast
devoted to you and your excellence,
providing inspiration and education for
the entrepreneurs, experience makers and
excellent seekers of our industry to take
your tourism business and career to a whole new
level. Relax.
(00:29):
Imagine this. It's 1995.
You want to book a holiday in Australia? What do
you do? You can probably call a travel agent,
flip through a glossy brochure, maybe even
post a check to confirm your booking.
It's slow, but it works.
Now, fast forward 30 years to
(00:50):
today. You can pull out your phone, browse
endless options, read reviews, and
confirm everything in minutes.
So what changed? It's
tempting to say technology, but that's
only part of the story. The
real story is far more complex
(01:10):
and far more human.
My name is Despina Karatias, your proud
host of the Tourism Hub Podcast, and welcome
to episode 68. For those of
you who have been following the show and know I've been
a little quiet on the interview front with a
about one interview a month, of late.
Thank you for sticking with my solo
(01:32):
podcast. I've been deep in the final
semester of my postgraduate studies and
this is the best and most resourceful
way to continue keeping on,
keeping on and showing up and sharing with
you what I'm learning, what's
going on, and how I can best serve
some thinking to you without things
(01:55):
coming to a halt. Studying
online, that solo
feeling is real, especially being an
online student and studying on the opposite side
of the country. I've
craved connection to discuss these
learnings that I'm being exposed to, which
brings me here. And from time to
(02:18):
time I'm using this opportunity
to almost like, you know, they say when.
Best way to learn is to teach. And this
is a great way for me to explore
and kind of capture what I've been learning
into a, digestible and meaningful way.
It helps me deepen my learning and
(02:38):
also in context of our industry,
it also helps me reframe
these paradigms and theories and
research into what can I do with
this for us, for our,
industry. So this podcast
and this episode is something
that really is why I started in the
(03:00):
first place. It's not just somewhere we can talk
tourism. It's a place to process
and share what is being experienced
out there in the world and all of these
learnings along the way. So if
you're curious about innovation,
systems thinking or the future
of our, industry, I have put a show together
(03:22):
to bring you on the journey
of thinking a little bit deeper
with me. Also had the privilege
of attending a session at Victoria
University hosted by the
incredible school for the Visitor
economy, previously led by
the wonderful Dr. Joanne Palak, who we
(03:44):
sadly lost. And I have a
dedicated episode to, our
beautiful Jo. And this
gathering is we will all for those that
knew Jo, it's where we will always think of her and
just know, you know, she would have devoured
what happened, through the week on Wednesday
morning, where we heard from Associate
(04:07):
Professor Peter Stumpf from the
Czech Republic the topic
tourism destinations.
Do complex problems have simple
solutions? Short answer, no,
absolutely not. But what a question
to sit with and ponder. Professor
Stump's research that he shared
(04:30):
with us on Tuesday at Vicuni reminded
us and challenged us to think beyond
surface level solutions. He spoke
about systems thinking,
simplifying complexity to understand
patterns, systems
dynamics, how we model and
learn from dynamic tourism
(04:51):
environments and system, archetypes,
recurring patterns in how problems
evolve and repeat. Whether it's
Venice or regional Victoria, we're
all dealing with the same same but different
challenges. Now, whether
it's beautiful Venice or beautiful regional
Victoria, we're all dealing with the same
(05:13):
same but different challenges. How many
visitors are too many? How many visitors are too
few? Who gets prioritised? Our
local community, our local businesses or
the visitor and the visitor experience?
What does service quality
really look like in a seasonal economy?
(05:33):
And are we solving real problems
or just shifting the burden?
This session was a powerful reminder that
there are no silver bullets in tourism,
just like there are no silver bullets in business.
But there are better questions, better
thinking and better systems that
(05:54):
we can design. We love the
word innovation in business and in
tourism and in many industries. But as
the ABC's Future Tense
podcast points out, our definition
has become dangerously shallow.
This is well worth a listen and I, have included
in the show notes the link to go listen.
(06:16):
It was one of our tasks for this particular
current unit that I'm studying in
my post grad one of two finales
back to centre. Innovation today
is often equated with whatever is shiny,
digital and fast. A new
app, innovation, a new AI
(06:37):
tool, innovation. But
is that really what innovation is?
Or what it should be? I certainly
never thought about it and it fascinated
me. The podcast unpacks
myths. We've bought into that
entrepreneurs are natural innovators. In fact,
they're often risk averse that
(07:00):
technology evolves on its own when
it rarely does. And that tech
companies are driving the future
when most are building on government
funded foundations. And here's
the uncomfortable truth, the kind of
innovation we really need, like
renewable energy, sustainable
(07:22):
tourism systems or climate
Resilience won't come from
quarterly reports or growth at all
costs mindsets. It needs
research and long game thinking.
Take the Internet, arguably
one of the most transformative
innovations in modern history.
(07:44):
Contrary to Silicon Valley
storytelling, the Internet wasn't invented
by a tech startup. It was funded
by the US Department of Defence and
it was built through decades of
publicly funded research involving
universities, government agencies and
(08:05):
academics. And yet today's
tech giants who profit from this
infrastructure go to great
lengths to disguise its origins.
As Future Tense host
Anthony Funnell points out, the five
biggest tech companies are
essentially free riders on
(08:26):
infrastructure created through
taxpayer money.
M Ponder on that one. Which begs
the question, would the Internet even be
built today in a political and economic
environment that's pathologically
averse to risk? This is from the
podcast Whoa. Where
(08:48):
governments focus on election
cycles and very short term election
cycles, and companies focus
on quarterly results and
serving their shareholders.
The answer is likely
no. Just like Professor
Stumpf's use of system
(09:09):
archetypes and dynamics reminds us
that in tourism small
changes can have massive
ripple effects. This is the butterfly
effect in action. And it makes
clear that innovation in
tourism must go beyond
surface level. Tech fixes
(09:31):
in my academic work sounds
so pro acca. Also
known my latest assessment that is due in
approximately two days and thankfully
I've. Yeah I've. I've been chipping away at
it that I'm not going to. You know, I haven't
lost too much sleep.
Well that's a lie. I have. I don't
(09:53):
sleep. I've got these
uni. Academic work.
Anyhow, I've explored
three key paradigms that help
us better understand the relationship
between technology and society.
Stay with me. It's so interesting.
Let's start with technological
(10:15):
determinism. TD
this idea is that technology
drives change and society simply
just adapts. Then there's the
social construction of technology,
also known as or abbreviated as
Scott with one T.
(10:35):
Social construction of technology
argues that society is the one
that shapes how technology is developed,
used and understood. And then we
have actor network theory
as the third paradigm which sees
innovation as a complex web
of relationships between human
(10:57):
and non human actors.
Now lets take something familiar
like online booking platforms.
TD Technological
determinism would say once the
Internet came, these platforms were
inevitable. Technology drove the change
and tourism just had to follow
(11:20):
the social construction of technology.
Scott counters that the
adoption of booking tech depended
on social context. Some
operators embraced it, others
resisted, fearing loss of control or
connection with customers.
That there, my dear friends,
(11:41):
is interpretive flexibility
in action, meaning the same technology
can be understood, valued and
used in entirely different ways,
depending on the beliefs, the
needs and the experiences
of different social groups. It's a
(12:02):
reminder that innovation isn't just about
what a technology can do,
but how people perceive, shape
and negotiate its role within
their specific context. And
then we have anchor network
theory. And going even
(12:22):
further, Actor network theory
says that these platforms are not just
tools, they are actors in a network
of relationships involving algorithms,
review Internet infrastructure,
user behaviour and business
decisions. The platform
is shaped and shapes in real
(12:45):
time. This layered understanding is
essential. Essential if we want to respond to
innovation critically and not just
reactively. As the Future
Tense podcast reminds us, true
innovation today isn't just the next
booking or the next ride sharing app or
itinerary generator. It's the
(13:07):
technologies and systems that can help
preserve life on earth. Like
renewable energy, carbon capture
and regenerative tourism. M models
the kind of innovation that doesn't just
starve tourists, but sustains
the communities and the environments that they
visit. This type of
(13:29):
innovation requires
risk tolerant public
investment, academic freedom
and long term thinking. And that's
why we need to shift the conversation
from shiny tech to
systematic change. Now that
would never have come out of this
(13:49):
mouth or this brain before this
unit. And that is why I am
devouring these studies. I just
wish I had more hours
and days, but never
mind that. We make use with the resources that
we have. And here we are. I
hope you know your day and
(14:12):
your brain is better after kind of unpacking this
and I want to unpack it a little bit more to
get a real grasp on
this for you and for me and for
we.
So let's explore these three
powerful lenses a little bit further.
Technological determinism. The social
(14:32):
construction of technology. An
actor network theory.
Each of these theories help
us ask better questions
about the past, the present and the
possible future of innovation
in tourism. Technological
determinism. The tech made
(14:53):
us do it. TD
tells us that technology
evolves independently and
society simply needs to come for the ride and
adapt. According to this view,
the shift from paper brochures to
online bookings was inevitable.
Once the Internet existed, it was only a
(15:15):
matter of time. This view is
appealing because it's simple. It gives us a
story of progress. But as
scholars like Sally Wyatt and I'll put
her work in the show notes
as well as Ms. Wyatt points
out, it is misleading when
(15:35):
we say AI will change everything. We
overlook the policies, people and power
structures that actually guide how
AI is used. The same applies in
tourism. Online booking platforms didn't
just happen, they were shaped by
regulations, business models,
partnerships and the
(15:57):
evolving visitor expectation.
Scott on the other hand,
the people powering technology,
the societal construction of
technology. Scott
this framework says that
technology doesn't drive change, people
(16:19):
do. It's society that gives
technology its meaning, its role and
ultimately its power. For
example, when online booking systems were
introduced, not every tourism
business jumped on board. Larger
tech savvy operators saw this as an
opportunity and saw booking systems
(16:41):
as the future. But
many small rural businesses
feared loss of control, costs
and complexity. Just this week, for
example, I was delivering a social media
workshop in regional Victoria and the
conversation led back to the
discussion of booking giants and the
(17:02):
impossibility to compete with them
in inverted commas. This is what
Scott calls interpretive
flexibility. Different groups
interpret the same technology in
different ways and it's these
social negotiations, not
just tech upgrades, that shape
(17:25):
adoption. And the
final paradigm or
theory is that technology is
not neutral. The actor
network theory focuses
on the power of tech and
Scott on the power of people,
saying that it's all connected.
(17:48):
Ant views innovations as
a network of relationships
between humans and non humans,
platforms, policies,
algorithms, users and
even reviews as
being all actors
shaping the system. Think about
(18:10):
how an OTA online travel
agent like booking.com
functions. It's not just a tool.
It actively influences
pricing strategies,
traveller behaviours and how
businesses design their offers.
And helps us understand that
(18:31):
innovation is not linear or
isolated. It's negotiated,
evolving and deeply embedded in
social and technical networks.
Alright, we've explored
theories, questions, assumptions and
challenged the way we think about innovation. Well, I
hope we have anyway. It certainly has
(18:52):
to me the last two, three weeks. But now
from these highest
heights, let's get down
to business and let's get practical.
Because if you know me, hello
Despina. In my day to day world,
I do actually. I deliver and
create these practical training and
(19:15):
workshops and mentor businesses one
on one. So you might kind of assume, you know what
that I do in my day to day, but that's basically
it. In my institute of excellence I might
throw in there. InstituteofExcellence.com is where all
that magic happens. I work with many different
clients to bring
training and education and practical
(19:37):
application to life. So
now that we do know each other and I don't assume
anymore, that's what I do. I'm there. I'm not
just here to provoke the thought, I'm here to ignite the
action. And that's what I want
for us as practitioners, as
operators, as business people and
(19:57):
humans of tourism. Strategists and
champion of our industry.
What do we do with this type of knowledge? So here's
what I invite you to take
action on next. Number one, I
invite you to audit your innovation
story. Take a moment, step back
and ask, what technologies have
(20:20):
you adopted in the past five years?
Were those choices proactive
or reactive? Did they
enhance your visitor experience
and the way you do work? Or did they just tick a box
and were doing it because everyone else is doing it?
Innovation doesn't need to be flashy.
(20:41):
Sometimes it's the quiet decision
to train your team on a new system,
create a stronger local partnership or
make your website easier to use.
That could be the decision this week
when you're thinking about doing a bit of an
audit on your
innovative story and
(21:03):
journey. Number two is
map your network.
Inspired by actor network theory.
Something to try. And this is something
I am in the depths of really
auditing my own systems.
Draw a simple diagram of the
(21:23):
human and non human actors
in your business. For
example, your team,
your guests or your customers.
Online booking platforms, review
sites, local councils,
destination marketers, Internet
infrastructure, algorithms.
(21:44):
Yes, really, they're an actor in
our worlds. Where are, the
tensions? Where are the connections?
Where can more collaboration or
better alignment happen? This is
a practical step toward systems
thinking. And once you see your business
(22:05):
as part of a wider network, you'll start
spotting new opportunities. You
always do. You can never not do an exercise
like this and not see
somewhere along the line a
gap, a bottleneck or an
opportunity for your growth. And number
three is challenge the,
(22:26):
determinism. If you've caught yourself
saying, that's just how tech works,
pause, ask why is
this technology being used this way? Who
benefits from it? Is there room to
shape it differently? To fit my business,
to fit my values, to fit my visitors and
my customers better? Because, as
(22:49):
Scott reminds us, technology is not
inevitable. It is shaped by people.
And you, as a tourism leader, are
one of those people. And number four,
look at the long game. Let's be honest.
Most of us are running businesses that need cash flow,
that they need the bookings, they need the bums on
(23:09):
seats. But alongside that, we need
to be asking, what kind of tourism
are we building for the next 10, 20,
50 years? Are we designing
systems that will still serve communities
and protect places long after
the next big thing in tech has
passed? Let's move from
(23:32):
surface innovation to sustainability,
sustainable transformation.
And the final thought, my beautiful
tourism brothers and sisters,
be the innovator you need.
Innovation isn't something that only
lives in labs or apps.
It's something you live every
(23:53):
day in your business and in your career,
or in your studies, in your decision
making, in in your partnerships, in
your own creativity, in
your own way of doing you.
So the next time you hear the word
innovation, don't just think digital.
Think dynamic. Think deliberate.
(24:16):
And most importantly, think about the
future you want to help
shape. Thank you from the
bottom of my heart and my entire
being for being here, for tuning in
to the Tourism Hub podcast. If this
episode lit a little
spark, if it ignited, let's keep the
(24:38):
conversation going, share it with a colleague,
subscribe, review,
reflect in it, with your
team in your next meeting, or reach out. I'd love
to hear what innovation looks like
in your world. Until next time,
stay curious, stay connected, and
keep creating and innovating
(25:00):
with purpose.
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