Networking facilitates stakeholder collaboration and partnerships and a richer understanding between stakeholders, benefiting the achievement of sustainable tourism development. This research examines how a network contributes to the success of a shared goal related to environmental sustainability at a local destination. A case study based on social network theory is conducted in Da Nang City – a popular tourist destination in central Vietnam. This research reveals a network of various tourism stakeholders in Da Nang working to protect the natural environment throughout the city. The networking properties are conceptualised, including actors and activities like approaching, connecting, sharing, and coordinating. These interactions create linkages and platforms for information flow and environmental messages travelling from initial actors to a broader set of actors, which encourages community involvement in environmental activities, more environmentally friendly behaviour, and an emotional bond with the destination. With these findings, this research has made a crucial contribution to tourism network research by exploring how stakeholders build sustainability awareness and place attachment through social networking. The study has practical implications regarding the use of networking to facilitate stakeholder involvement in sustainable tourism development.
AlbrechtJN (2013) Networking for sustainable tourism–towards a research agenda. Journal of Sustainable Tourism21(5): 639–657. DOI: 10.1080/09669582.2012.721788.
3.
ArmutcuBTanAAmponsahM, et al. (2023) Tourist behaviour: the role of digital marketing and social media. Acta Psychologica240: 104025. DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.104025.
4.
BaggioRCooperC (2010) Knowledge transfer in a tourism destination: the effects of a network structure. Service Industries Journal30(10): 1757–1771. DOI: 10.1080/02642060903580649.
5.
BaggioRValeriM (2020) Network science and sustainable performance of family businesses in tourism. Journal of Family Business Management12(2): 200–213. DOI: 10.1108/jfbm-06-2020-0048.
BeckenSScottNRitchieBW (2014) The development of new tourism networks to respond to and recover from the 2011 christchurch earthquake. In: CompiranonBWRaK (ed) Tourism Crisis and Disaster Management in the Asia-Pacific. Wallingford, UK: CAB International.
8.
BeedieP (2018) Qualitative research: an application to tourism. In: DurbaryR (ed) Research Methods for Tourism Students. Oxfordshire, UK: Routledge.
9.
BeritelliP (2011) Cooperation among prominent actors in a tourist destination. Annals of Tourism Research38(2): 607–629. DOI: 10.1016/j.annals.2010.11.015.
10.
BishwokarmaDHarperJNepalS (2023) Sustainable tourism in practice: synthesizing sustainability assessment of global tourism destinations. The International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology30(6): 671–684. DOI: 10.1080/13504509.2023.2183527.
11.
BramwellB (2011) Governance, the state and sustainable tourism: a political economy approach. Journal of Sustainable Tourism19(4-5): 459–477. DOI: 10.1080/09669582.2011.576765.
12.
BramwellBHighamJLaneB, et al. (2017) Twenty-five years of sustainable tourism and the Journal of Sustainable Tourism: looking back and moving forward. Journal of Sustainable Tourism25(1): 1–9. DOI: 10.1080/09669582.2017.1251689.
13.
BraunVClarkeV (2006) Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology3(2): 77–101. DOI: 10.1191/1478088706qp063oa.
14.
BruntPHornerSSemleyN (2017) Research Methods in Tourism, Hospitality and Events Management. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
15.
BrymanA (2016) Social Research Methods. 5th edition. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
16.
BuegerCStockbrueggerJ (2017) Actor-network theory: objects and actants, networks and narratives. In: Technology and World Politics. Oxfordshire, UK: Routledge, 42–59.
17.
CooperCScottNBaggioR (2009) Network position and perceptions of destination stakeholder importance. Anatolia20(1): 33–45. DOI: 10.1080/13032917.2009.10518893.
18.
CoudratCNZQuyetLKDucH, et al. (2020). Pygathrix nemaeus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T39826A17941247: The International Union for Conservation of Nature. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T39826A17941247.en. Accessed on 15/10/2022.
19.
CreswellJWCreswellDJ (2018) Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. 5th edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
20.
Da Nang People’s Committee (2010) Plan to Response to Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise, Oriented to 2020. Da Nang, Vietnam: Department of Natural Resource and Environment.
Del ChiappaGBaggioR (2015) Knowledge transfer in smart tourism destinations: analysing the effects of a network structure. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management4(3): 145–150.
23.
DimitrovskiDLemmetyinenANieminenL, et al. (2021) Understanding coastal and marine tourism sustainability - a multi-stakeholder analysis. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management19: 100554. DOI: 10.1016/j.jdmm.2021.100554.
24.
DongXDNguyenTQT (2023) Power, community involvement, and sustainability of tourism destinations. Tourist Studies23(1): 62–79. DOI: 10.1177/14687976221144335.
25.
DredgeD (2006a) Networks, conflict and collaborative communities. Journal of Sustainable Tourism14(6): 562–581. DOI: 10.2167/jost567.0.
26.
DredgeD (2006b) Policy networks and the local organisation of tourism. Tourism Management27(2): 269–280. DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2004.10.003.
27.
Erkuş-ÖztürkH (2009) The role of cluster types and firm size in designing the level of network relations: the experience of the Antalya tourism region. Tourism Management30(4): 589–597. DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2008.10.008.
28.
Erkuş-ÖztürkHEraydınA (2010) Environmental governance for sustainable tourism development: collaborative networks and organisation building in the Antalya tourism region. Tourism Management31(1): 113–124. DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2009.01.002.
GranovetterM (1983) The strength of weak ties: a network theory revisited. Sociological Theory1: 201–233.
32.
HallCM (2019) Constructing sustainable tourism development: the 2030 agenda and the managerial ecology of sustainable tourism. Journal of Sustainable Tourism27(7): 1044–1060. DOI: 10.1080/09669582.2018.1560456.
33.
HillmanWRadelK (2018) Qualitative Methods in Tourism Research: Theory and Practice. Bristol, UK: Channel View Publications.
34.
HuI-LChangC-CLinY-H (2021) Using big data and social network analysis for cultural tourism planning in Hakka villages. Tourism and Hospitality Research21(1): 99–114. DOI: 10.1177/1467358420957061.
35.
HughesEScheyvensR (2016) Corporate social responsibility in tourism post-2015: a Development First approach. Tourism Geographies18(5): 469–482. DOI: 10.1080/14616688.2016.1208678.
JokarSShojaeiPAskarifarK, et al. (2022) Investigating social risks of construction projects in historic tourism sites in urban districts of developing countries: social network analysis approach. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management36(2): 358–378. DOI: 10.1108/IJCHM-03-2022-0282.
38.
KimbuANNgoasongMZ (2013) Centralised decentralisation of tourism development: a network perspective. Annals of Tourism Research40: 235–259. DOI: 10.1016/j.annals.2012.09.005.
LippoldLKVuNTTranDN (2018) Resource assessment and development impact on douc population at Son Tra nature reserve, Vietnam. Primate Conservation32(8): 1–8.
41.
LiuBHuangSSFuH (2017) An application of network analysis on tourist attractions: the case of Xinjiang, China. Tourism Management58: 132–141. DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2016.10.009.
42.
LundieSDwyerLForsythP (2007) Environmental-economic measures of tourism yield. Journal of Sustainable Tourism15(5): 503–519. DOI: 10.2167/jost713.0.
43.
ManzoLCPerkinsDD (2006) Finding common ground: the importance of place attachment to community participation and planning. Journal of Planning Literature20(4): 335–350.
MitchellJC (1969) Social Networks in Urban Situations: Analyses of Personal Relationships in Central African Towns. Oxford Road, MA: Manchester University Press.
46.
MorrisonALynchPJohnsN (2004) International tourism networks. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management16(3): 197–202. DOI: 10.1108/09596110410531195.
47.
NguyenTQTHoangTTH (2023) Stakeholder involvement and the attainment of SDGs at local tourism destinations. Tourism71(3): 432–446. DOI: 10.37741/t.71.3.1.
48.
NguyenTQTYoungTJohnsonP, et al. (2019) Conceptualising networks in sustainable tourism development. Tourism Management Perspectives32: 100575. DOI: 10.1016/j.tmp.2019.100575.
49.
NguyenTQTJohnsonPYoungT (2022) Networking, coopetition and sustainability of tourism destinations. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management50: 400–411. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhtm.2022.01.003.
50.
NogueiraSPinhoJC (2015) Stakeholder network integrated analysis: the specific case of rural tourism in the Portuguese peneda-gerês national park. International Journal of Tourism Research17(4): 325–336. DOI: 10.1002/jtr.1989.
51.
PanS-YGaoMKimH, et al. (2018) Advances and Challenges in Sustainable Tourism Toward a Green Economy. Netherlands, Europe: Science of the Total Environment, 452–469. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.134. 635.
52.
PookaiyaudomG (2015) Relationship between community pride and community participation needs in sustainable tourism development of fishing village: a case study of Samut Sakhon Province, Thailand. In: GarciaJLMiBrebbiaCA (eds) Ecosystems and Sustainable Development X. Billerica, MA: WIT Press.
QuangTDPhan TranNMSthapitE, et al. (2023) Beyond the homestay: women’s participation in rural tourism development in Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Tourism and Hospitality Research. DOI: 10.1177/14673584231218103.
55.
RacherlaPHuC (2010) A social network perspective of tourism research collaborations. Annals of Tourism Research37(4): 1012–1034. DOI: 10.1016/j.annals.2010.03.008.
SarantakosS (2013) Social Research. 4th edition. London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
58.
SaundersMLewisPThornhillA (2003) Research Methods for Business Students. 3rd edition. London, UK: Pearson Education.
59.
SchönherrSEllerRKallmuenzerA, et al. (2023) Organisational learning and sustainable tourism: the enabling role of digital transformation. Journal of Knowledge Management27(11): 82–100. DOI: 10.1108/jkm-06-2022-0434.
60.
ScottJ (1988) Social network analysis. Sociology22(1): 109–127. DOI: 10.1177/0038038588022001007.
ScottNBaggioRCooperC (2008) Network Analysis And Tourism: From Theory to Practice. Bristol, UK: Channel View Publications, Vol. 35.
63.
SharpleyR (2020) Tourism, sustainable development and the theoretical divide: 20 years on. Journal of Sustainable Tourism28(11): 1932–1946. DOI: 10.1080/09669582.2020.1779732.
64.
ShihH-Y (2006) Network characteristics of drive tourism destinations: an application of network analysis in tourism. Tourism Management27(5): 1029–1039. DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2005.08.002.
65.
SoulardJParkJZouS, et al. (2024) Pride in transformation: a rural tourism stakeholder view. Journal of Travel Research63(1): 80–99. DOI: 10.1177/00472875221143487.
66.
SsekibaalaDSAriffinMIDuasaJ (2022) Economic growth, international trade, and environmental degradation in Sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Economics and Development24(4): 293–308. DOI: 10.1108/jed-05-2021-0072.
67.
StalmirskaAMAliA (2023) Sustainable development of urban food tourism: a cultural globalisation approach. Tourism and Hospitality Research. DOI: 10.1177/14673584231203368.
68.
StroblAPetersM (2013) Entrepreneurial reputation in destination networks. Annals of Tourism Research40: 59–82. DOI: 10.1016/j.annals.2012.08.005.
69.
SulhainiSSaufiAHermanL-E, et al. (2023) Network behaviour for tourism business resilience. Tourism and Hospitality Research. DOI: 10.1177/14673584231151900.
70.
TimurSGetzD (2008) A network perspective on managing stakeholders for sustainable urban tourism. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management20(4): 445–461. DOI: 10.1108/09596110810873543.
71.
UNWTO (1998) Guide for Local Authorities on Developing Sustainable Tourism. Madrid, Spain: World Tourism Organization.
72.
Van der ZeeEVannesteD (2015) Tourism networks unravelled; a review of the literature on networks in tourism management studies. Tourism Management Perspectives15: 46–56. DOI: 10.1016/j.tmp.2015.03.006.
73.
WaligoVMClarkeJHawkinsR (2015) Embedding stakeholders in sustainable tourism strategies. Annals of Tourism Research55: 90–93. DOI: 10.1016/j.annals.2015.09.002.
74.
WassermanSFaustK (1994) Social Network Analysis: Methods and Applications. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, Vol. 8.
75.
WilsonJ (2014) Essentials of Business Research: A Guide to Doing Your Research Project. 2nd edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
76.
YinRK (2014) Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 5th edition: Thousand Oaks, CA. Sage.
77.
ZachFJHillTL (2017) Network, knowledge and relationship impacts on innovation in tourism destinations. Tourism Management62: 196–207. DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2017.04.001.
