Organizational Changes Behind Digital Transformation Entrepreneurial Perspective in Tourism Industry

Abstract

Digitalization has profoundly impacted various industries, including tourism, by creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs to enhance competitiveness. To capitalize on these opportunities, tourism entrepreneurs should implement significant organizational changes. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore the organizational changes required for adapting to the digital transformation of entrepreneurs in tourism industry in Sri Lanka. Employing a qualitative research methodology under the interpretivist paradigm, the study utilizes the phenomenological approach to gain deep insights into the experiences of tourism entrepreneurs. Twelve entrepreneurs from the tourism sector were purposively selected and interviewed. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis with the assistance of NVivo software. As per the findings three key themes had emerged: transforming the way of working and thinking, skills development and workforce adaptation and operational changes and automation. Therefore, entrepreneurs have to foster agile approaches within their organizations based on real-time data in adopting digitalization together with swift changes in human resources and operational efficiency. The study concludes that technological adoption in digitalization should be accompanied by cultural and operational transformations to build resilience and sustain competitiveness in the evolving tourism landscape.