Adventure Tourism and Innovation in Taiwan

• Main Author: Justin Bagan
• Other Authors: Vincent Kuo
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2017
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/17914395203895916138

碩士 === 國立臺灣科技大學 === 管理學院MBA === 105 === A current challenge to the Taiwan government and Taiwan Tourism Bureau is to develop, grow, and strengthen Taiwan’s tourism sector and brand. Solutions may lie in adventure tourism (AT) micro business entrepreneurs and their ability to innovate. Understanding current AT entrepreneur’s processes of knowledge development may reveal key strategies, opportunities, and barriers to innovation and may aid future entrepreneurs in Taiwan and abroad. A qualitative multiple case study was conducted in Taiwan interviewing two founding AT entrepreneurs in order to explore the nature of their innovations and how they arrived at them as well as perceptions of their internal and external contexts. Also underlying these interviews was an investigation into the industrial relevance and ontological natures of adventure tourism and innovation in an attempt to further the academic literature of each. The qualitative results revealed market approach and differentiation of services to be the primary innovations, gradual and unique processes of knowledge sourcing and absorption, and challenging external developmental contexts and government relations. The results also indicated a lack of awareness, cohesion, and organization among Taiwan adventure tourism businesses. Insights into adventure tourism and tourism innovation in Taiwan were provided as well as potential knowledge development processes for future AT entrepreneurs.