Beyond the rhetoric and the veil of mist of social innovation in tourism

CALL FOR PAPERS
Beyond the rhetoric and the veil of mist of social innovation in tourism

Journal: Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy
Publisher: Emerald Publishing
Submission deadline: 31 July 2026

This special issue invites research on Social Innovation in Tourism (SIT) that moves beyond rhetoric to critically examine how tourism, social entrepreneurship, and local communities interact to produce social value. It particularly welcomes sociological, community‑based, and critically‑oriented work from tourism studies, social entrepreneurship, and community development that engage with urban, rural, undertourism, and overtourism contexts.

Brief overview

Guest editors

• Maurizio Busacca, Department of Management, University of Venice, Italy

• Mario Coscarello, Department of Economics, Statistics and Finance, University of Calabria, Italy

• Anabel Soria, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Argentina

• Olga Tzatzadaki, Department of Design and Planning, Iuav University of Venice, Italy

List of suggested topic areas

• At the origins of social innovation: Poverty and problems of access to resources—tourism as a solution or cause?

• The protagonists of social innovation: What is the “local community”? How does it participate in SIT processes?

• The ways of producing social innovation: Collaboration and conflicts in SIT initiatives.

• SIT in undertourism and overtourism contexts: Convergences and divergences.

• Cultural heritage and social innovation in tourism: Role of arts, crafts, and heritage‑based initiatives.

• Social entrepreneurship and tourism: Contribution of social enterprises in overtourism and undertourism settings.

• Rural tourism and social innovation: Places, practices, and outcomes.

• Sustainability and social innovation in tourism: Are tourism and sustainability compatible?

Other topics will be considered if they offer novel, critical, or theory‑rich insights into social innovation in tourism.

Submission information

Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Registration and access are available here:
Submit via ScholarOne

Author guidelines must be strictly followed:
Author guidelines

At the step “Please select the issue you are submitting to”, authors should choose the special issue title from the drop‑down menu. Articles must not have been published previously or be under consideration elsewhere while under review for the journal.

Important dates

• Closing date for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026

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