Engaging stakeholders in cultural tourism Living Labs: A pathway to innovation, sustainability, and resilience

Abstract

This study explores the motivations and benefits driving stakeholder engagement in Living Labs (LLs) for sustainable cultural tourism, with a focus on a case study in Split, Croatia. LLs, which foster innovation through collaboration between stakeholders, are increasingly recognized as essential for addressing sustainability challenges in tourism. Using a combination of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA/CFA), we identify key motivations for stakeholder participation, including the desire to shift attitudes toward tourism development, enhance educational initiatives, and improve heritage interpretation. The results reveal that stakeholder engagement not only enriches tourism offerings—such as joint marketing efforts and innovative visitor experiences—but also strengthens resilience in heritage destinations. Our findings emphasize the critical role of ambidextrous management, which balances innovation and resource efficiency, in enhancing stakeholder collaboration. The study provides practical recommendations for smart governance and advocates for stakeholder-centric, bottom-up approaches in the design and management of LLs. These insights contribute to both the theoretical framework and practical implementation of sustainable cultural tourism, offering actionable strategies for policymakers and practitioners to foster local ownership and co-creation in heritage tourism development.