Tourism and innovation in China and Spain: a review of innovation research on tourism

Given the current economic contribution of tourism to the Chinese and Spanish national economies, tourism innovation in these two countries becomes a vehicle for improving tourism competitiveness and sustainability. This article presents a comparative analysis of the relevance, recent growth and particularities of tourism and innovation in China and Spain, with the objective of identifying the tourism innovation needs of each country. Innovation research on tourism is also reviewed as a means to a better understanding of tourism innovation activities in each country. This review of the academic literature further examines the levels of analysis, the research topics and the major conclusions. In light of their findings, the authors then offer recommendations on how to enhance the tourism innovation performance and improve research on tourism innovation in China and Spain.