Digital Transformation and Innovation Management in China’s Tourism Industry: An Empirical MultiCase Study

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between digital transformation and innovation management in China’s tourism industry. Using an unbalanced panel dataset of 98 listed cultural and tourism enterprises from 2013 to 2022, combined with qualitative evidence from multiple case studies, the paper investigates how digital transformation is associated with firmlevel innovation outcomes. The empirical analysis indicates that a higher degree of digital transformation is positively associated with innovation performance. Further results suggest that organizational adaptability serves as a partial mediating mechanism, while the level of regional digital ecosystem development conditions the effectiveness of digital transformation. By providing multilevel empirical evidence from the Chinese tourism sector, this study contributes to the literature on digital transformation and innovation management and offers policyrelevant insights for innovationoriented development in tourism.