Customer Participation in the Service Innovation Processes of the Tourism Industry

In this paper, the authors discuss customer participation in service innovation processes of the tourism industry based on literature review. They stress that customer participation in service innovation can be divided into three stages, i.e. the innovation concept stage, the innovation development stage and the innovation delivery stage. The functions of customer participation in these three stages are analyzed. The authors found that customer participation plays an important part in facilitating information sharing and interaction. In the innovation development stage, customer participation contributes to promote cooperative development and interaction. In the service delivery stage, customer participation drives information sharing and application. In order to complete customer participation in service innovation process successfully, tourism companies should set up database of tourists, communicate with tourists effectively in terms of service innovation processes and develop innovative services for tourists basing on customer participation. Meanwhile, tourism companies should effectively manage customer participation in service innovation processes.