ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the issues related with the management and the diffusion of knowledge in a group of tourism companies by discussing the network approach to the phenomenon. As well known, a tourism destination is a complex interconnected system made of a number of diverse entities (firms, associations, consortia, etc.). Today, more than ever, these systems have a necessity to find creative and innovative ways to assemble their products, to communicate and market them. As discussed in other contributions to this volume, an essential prerequisite for acting effectively is the formation of a common knowledge which must be generated, shared and used (Cooper 2006). This, as with other dynamic processes, has been found to depend strongly on the number, the distribution and the type of relationships that bind the different actors in a destination (Barrat et al. 2008). The network formed by them needs thus to be carefully studied and understood in order to find optimal paths for the spread of knowledge. These studies, complemented by the qualitative analysis of the determinants and the environmental conditions for efficient knowledge transfer and acquisition may give a comprehensive picture of the situation and provide important hints for developing governance practices aimed at improving destination stakeholders’ capabilities (Scott et al. 2011).
