The DNA of Tourism Service Innovation: A Quadruple Helix Approach

This paper adds to the emerging discussion of the Quadruple Helix framework by arguing for a clear distinction between the intermediators (“consortia”) that coordinate public, academic, industrial, and civil society resources and those actors that belong to the Civil Society Helix. The resources for innovations to be positioned in this, the fourth, helix are mostly unclear. Furthermore, the governance aspects of the helix framework have received little academic research attention despite their decisive role in service innovation systems. The case-based research findings presented in this study give reason to develop the helix framework into a DNA model for tourism innovation systems, thus emphasizing the dynamic nature of innovation processes. An action research approach was applied, and the Finnish Travel and Relax project scrutinized for data. Based on field notes, desk research, observations, and personal interviews, we conclude that innovation systems for tourism development work well with a mixture of governance structures. We find that actors from different helixes participate in different processes with different intentions and objectives throughout the process, but they are seldom present at the same time. Further, the findings prove that service concept development progressed as best in unplanned pop-up networks in the Industry Helix.