Patrice Braun, University of Ballarat
This paper discusses an action research project currently underway in the Grampians region of Victoria. A geographically dispersed group of nature- based tourist operators, through the incentive of the product region's cooperative marketing committee, is building a regional gateway with the aim of expanding its conventional media marketing cooperative into an e- commerce and e-marketing portal. The study examines the potential of digital networking, resource sharing and knowledge management within and between tourism regions to enhance industry learning and practices and augment access to funding for regional sustainability and growth.
The action research concerns stakeholder participation and portal design based on economic management research that network building is a major new source of competitive advantage and an essential regional and indeed global management requirement. Since regional growth incentives encourage inter-firm alliances and the development of regional economic communities, fostering a culture of connectivity, learning and trust among stakeholders may offer a potential solution to the possible loss of competitive advantage for regional tourism enterprises in the knowledge economy. Research to date suggests that regional small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in a variety of industries would benefit from networking and cooperative e-commerce and e- marketing initiatives to enhance market visibility, global positioning and strategic leverage.