Introduction: Entrepreneurial innovation in the international business of tourism

The scholarly interrogation and critical application of pivotal tourism concepts have underscored an emergent need in both academic discourse and practical realms of management. A discerning assessment of the trajectory of this academic landscape attributes this burgeoning interest to rigorous, paradigm-shifting research contributions emanating from a few elite business schools over the past decades. Seminal researches, some tracing back to the previous millennium and published in journals of repute like the Journal of Tourism Management, not only deconstructed essential tourism sectors but also paved the way for a paradigm shift in the industry’s structure, thus instigating an intricate research agenda. This agenda encapsulates a panoptic view of tourism business theory, juxtaposed with intricate facets of entrepreneurship, evolving trends, imminent challenges, and novel formats.