Title: Tourism value paradox: integrating service ecosystems and institutional perspectives

Authors: Rama K. Jayanti; Rajat Sharma

Addresses: Monte Ahuja College of Business, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, 44114-3610, USA ' Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, 380015, India

Abstract: We interface institutional theory with service ecosystem perspective to propose novel mechanisms for service value creation. By linking the institutional theory-based plurality of logics of market-based progression and tradition to service ecosystem insights on value co-creation, we propose a value paradox of value creation and value reduction in a service ecosystem. Our phenomenological study of the lived experiences of a local community surrounding a national park suggests a multiplicity of value evaluations that a service ecosystem might seed in response to tourism development. We tease out this multiplicity to provide valuable insights to design a holistic service ecosystem that initiates and nurtures purposeful value for the entire ecosystem.

Keywords: tourism value paradox; institutional theory; service ecosystem; development logics; tradition logics.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTP.2025.147436

International Journal of Tourism Policy, 2025 Vol.15 No.3, pp.203 - 217

Received: 27 Jun 2023
Accepted: 03 Dec 2023
Published online: 15 Jul 2025 *

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