Collaboration for sustainable tourism through strategic bridging: A case of travel2change

Abstract

Although the importance of collaboration for sustainable tourism has been widely emphasized for value co-creation, there is a lack of understanding about alternative collaboration models and how partnerships develop and operate. This study examines strategic bridging, which can be a viable collaboration form fostered by an independent third party. We investigate a case, travel2change (t2c) that connects travelers and local organizations through a crowdsourcing platform to facilitate concerted efforts for sustainable Hawaii. In-depth interviews with t2c and its 13 partners show that their shared mission ties them to join the endeavors, although there are some implementation challenges. We further discuss collaboration outcomes, outcome measures, and future improvements. The findings shed light on actions stakeholders can take, so that the constituents can mobilize, synchronize, and synthesize their resources and efforts toward a sustainable tourism destination.