Tourism value paradox: integrating service ecosystems and institutional perspectives

We interface institutional theory with service ecosystem perspective to propose novel mechanisms for service value creation. By linking the institutional theory-based plurality of logics of market-based progression and tradition to service ecosystem insights on value co-creation, we propose a value paradox of value creation and value reduction in a service ecosystem. Our phenomenological study of the lived experiences of a local community surrounding a national park suggests a multiplicity of value evaluations that a service ecosystem might seed in response to tourism development. We tease out this multiplicity to provide valuable insights to design a holistic service ecosystem that initiates and nurtures purposeful value for the entire ecosystem.