Innovation Networks in Tourism – Focus on the Balaton Circle Association

Eszter Madarász, Saheleh Taheri, Judit Sulyok

 

In the winter of 2024, Borbála Balatoni and Barnabás Hullám inherited a vineyard in the Balaton Uplands, which also included a small wine cellar. Barnabás had spent his childhood there, participating in rural life on his grandparents' estate every summer, and enjoyed spending his school holidays there. After graduating from university, he began working as an agricultural engineer in Portugal, but not in a position related to viticulture or winemaking. The first summer, he and his partner, Borbála, moved into the cellar and began renovating it.

 

The tourism experience is provided by several players in the tourism value chain, including those directly involved in tourism (e.g. accommodation, catering, tourist attractions) and those indirectly involved (e.g. transport companies, food industry, tourism service providers) ( UNWTO–ETC 2011 ). In today's globalising world, continuous renewal and innovation are closely linked to the competitiveness of businesses. The necessity of this is also supported by the fact that socio-economic impacts and consumer trends affect the leisure travel market. In tourism, we often see that a good idea, a well-functioning service, experience, or business model can be successfully adapted even on the other side of the world. Cooperation between actors involved in tourism and the development of well-functioning networks are particularly important in destinations where many small businesses make up the economic ecosystem. To provide the right quality of service, it is important that all the services used by travellers are adequate, as any shortcomings or negative experiences will damage the overall assessment of the trip and the destination.

Creativity and innovation are of fundamental importance for the development and long-term growth of tourism businesses ( Bhaskara et al., 2023 ), as they enable these businesses to identify new market segments, improve the quality of their services, and mitigate uncertainties arising from fluctuations in demand. This ultimately leads to increased efficiency and productivity ( Nguyen et al., 2021 ). Previously, companies interpreted innovation as investing in product development using their own internal resources, while striving to protect their intellectual property. However, according to Henry Chesbrough (2003 ), the pioneer of the concept, the essence of open innovation is the deliberate and conscious inflow and outflow of knowledge. Essentially, it means opening the organisation and creating spaces for collaboration with stakeholders to incorporate external ideas and projects into the strategy ( Sanchez et al., 2020 ).

The term ‘open’ stems from the fact that an idea can enter and leave the innovation process in several ways ( Deák, 2023 ).

 

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Figure 1: The logic of open innovation

Source: Deák, 2023, https://mersz.hu/dokumentum/m1080im__26/#m1080im_24

 

There are two main types of open innovation (Achmad et al., 2023). One is the so-called ‘outside-in’ open innovation, in which ideas and technologies from external sources are integrated into a company's innovation processes. The other type is ‘inside-out’ open innovation, in which the company's internal, unused ideas and technologies are shared publicly, allowing other organisations to use them to build on their own innovation processes. External actors may include industry companies, suppliers, universities, research institutes, or even consumers. Open innovation relationships therefore enable small and medium-sized tourism businesses to maintain their creativity and flexibility, so that resource constraints do not pose a problem for them (Biconne et al., 2023, Marullo et al., 2018).

While tidying up the cellar, Borbála and Barnabás went on many trips in the area and discovered the Taste Around Lake Balaton (Kóstold Körbe) publication issued by the Balaton Circle Association in one of the restaurants. After a brief discussion, they decided to take a more serious approach to viticulture and to even move to Lake Balaton for the long term. Borbála took it upon herself to map out the organisations operating in their close and wider environments that could help make their venture a success.

 

Tartalomjegyzék

• Cases in Tourism Marketing III
• Copyright Page
• Editorial Preface
• The Editor
• The Authors
• chevron_rightThe Importance of Market Segmentation and the Reinterpretation of Consumer Segments in Tourism
  • chevron_rightAround the World and Back Again
    • Questions
    • Literature
  • chevron_rightMe, a tourist?? Is that serious?
    • Questions
    • Literature
• chevron_rightCountry Positioning and Branding
  • chevron_right“I Feel Slovenia” – From Tourism Slogan to Green Country Brand
    • Questions
    • Literature
  • chevron_rightFrom Party Tourism to Stars, Detox, and Foam Parties: Hungary’s New Experiential Tourism Strategy and Target Market Redefinition
    • Questions
    • Literature
• chevron_rightDigitalisation in Tourism
  • chevron_rightEchoes Beyond the Screen
    • Questions
    • Literature
  • chevron_rightThe Practical Implementation of Personalised Digital Tourism at the “Soft Waves” Boutique Hotel
    • Digital Reality – experience already before arrival
    • Questions
    • Literature
  • chevron_rightRoad trip with Lena – Social media and digital marketing solutions in tourism
    • Questions
    • Literature
  • chevron_rightWhat skills should we expect from the employees of the future?
    • Questions
    • Literature
  • chevron_rightDeus Ex Machina Hospitalitatis: An Inquiry into the Application of Artificial Intelligence in Securing Occupancy in New Orleans. Or, How the Ghost in the Machine Became the Hotelier’s Most Trusted (and Least Complaining) Confidant
    • The Twilight of the Old Dogmas: Information, Interpretation, Implementation
    • The Prestidigitation: How Krasner Put the Machine Mind to Work
    • The Organisational Metamorphosis: The Era of the Digital Creators
    • Questions
    • Literature
• chevron_rightThe Reorganisation and Transformation of Urban Tourism
  • chevron_rightThe Encounter
    • Questions
    • Literature
  • chevron_rightSmall-town Tourism and Destination Development – The Case of Szikszó
    • Where is Szikszó and what should we know about it?
    • But what kind of tourism should be developed in Szikszó?
    • Author’s Afterword
    • Questions
    • Literature
  • chevron_rightThe Dilemma of Joining a Slow Tourism Cooperation
    • Questions
    • Literature
  • chevron_rightFlavours on the Screen – Anna’s Culinary Film Journey Across Europe
    • Tuscany – The Taste of Experience and the Scent of Cinema
    • Barcelona – The Forms of Desire, the Flavours of the City
    • Lyon – The Legacy of Haute Cuisine and Cinema
  • chevron_rightPrague – Beer, Garlic Soup, and the Poetics of Film
    • Vienna – Coffeehouses and Nostalgia on Screen
    • Film Recommendations for Food Lovers
    • Questions
    • Literature
• chevron_rightCommunity Collaboration in Tourism
  • chevron_rightInnovation Networks in Tourism – Focus on the Balaton Circle Association
    • Regional Networks in the Lake Balaton Area
    • The Balaton Circle Association
    • chevron_rightInterview with Members
      • Innovation at the Enterprise Level
      • Membership of the Balaton Circle Association
      • Membership in Other Networks
    • Questions
    • Acknowledgements
    • Literature
  • chevron_rightThe Voice of the Street – The Gate of Life – The Birth of a Nature Science Centre in Dunaerdő Part 1. Tourism Development with Community Involvement
    • Literature
  • chevron_rightThe Voice of the Street – The Gate of Life – The Birth of a Nature Science Centre in Dunaerdő Part 2. Tourism Development without Community Involvement
    • Questions
  • chevron_rightThe role of local communities in cultural consumption: the example of Veszprém – Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture
    • Questions
    • Acknowledgements
    • Literature
  • chevron_rightRethinking the Strategies and Strategic Decisions of Tourism Service Providers. Where ice is still king – Air Greenland, the gateway to the North
    • Questions
    • Literature
  • chevron_rightThe Significance of Data Analysis in Strategic Tourism Investment Decisions
    • Questions
    • Literature
  • chevron_rightImaginary report with a successful tourism service provider
    • Questions
    • Literature
  • chevron_rightBay & Vine Experiences – Wine Tourism in Nova Scotia
    • Wine industry in Nova Scotia
    • Bay & Vine
    • Questions
    • Literature

Kiadó: Akadémiai Kiadó

Online megjelenés éve: 2026

ISBN: 978 963 664 217 4

The publication of the third volume of Cases in Tourism Marketing is truly welcome news from both an educational and a professional perspective. Through real-world, timely, and thought-provoking cases, this collection helps readers – students and practitioners alike – gain a deeper understanding of the complex world of decision-making in tourism marketing. The case studies not only convey professional knowledge but also develop analytical skills, problem-solving abilities, and critical thinking. One of the volume’s key strengths is its focus on issues that define contemporary tourism, including the role of digitalization, artificial intelligence, destination branding, and stakeholder collaboration in tourism marketing. Long-awaited and highly relevant, this third volume is a worthy continuation of the previous collections and will undoubtedly serve as a valuable resource in higher education in tourism, while also being highly recommended to professionals who enjoy reflecting on challenges and opportunities beyond their own immediate field of expertise.

Tamara Ratz PhD

Director, Centre for International Relations, Kodolányi János University

Head of Tourism Department, Professor of Tourism

It is an honor for me to recommend this volume to everyone who wishes to understand tourism marketing not only in theory, but also through its real business and human dimensions. The worlds of tourism and hospitality have undergone fundamental changes in recent years, which makes case studies based on real market situations, decision-making dilemmas and current challenges especially valuable in supporting both learning and critical thinking. This book provides not only professional knowledge, but also encourages a complex mindset, creative problem-solving and the ability to think in connections — exactly the skills today’s tourism professionals need most. I wholeheartedly recommend this volume to students, educators and tourism professionals alike.

Judit Fodor (Liptai)

Group Director of Sales and Marketing, Danubius Hotels

Hivatkozás: https://mersz.hu/deli-gray-cases-in-toursim-marketing-iii//