Project networks and the reputation in a community destination: Proof of the missing link

This study analyses the influence of project networks (salient actors involved in the creation of innovative products) on the reputation network (salient actors able to lead the destination in the future) in a community destination. The research builds on a case study conducted in a leading Alpine destination. Key stakeholders involved in the local tourism offer were interviewed using snowball sampling. A quali-quantitative approach and social network analysis were applied to: (a) identify the destination's most innovative products; (b) identify the key players behind each innovative product and reconstruct its project network; (c) reconstruct the reputation network; and (d) assess the influence of the project networks on the reputation network. The analysis was carried out using a multiple regression quadratic assignment procedure (MR-QAP). It shows the influence of each project network on the reputation network and highlights both that the latter is a consequence of the former and the effectiveness of collaborative innovation. Each project, based on shared goals, contributes significantly to the reputation network. The research contributes to deepening the current debate on the influence of project networks on the reputation network in a community destination, and it is to be hoped that the establishment of this link can draw together two–currently parallel–research streams on tourism (one on innovation, the other on stakeholder salience and reputation in community destinations).