Reconfiguring Indonesia’s travel ecosystem through the Hybrid STA–CBTA Model: A pathway to inclusive innovation in Tourism 4.0

This study investigates how ecosystem reconfiguration serves as the foundation for open innovation (OI) in Indonesia’s travel agency sector. It introduces the Hybrid Smart Travel Assistant–Community-Based Travel Agent (STA–CBTA) model to explain how digital and community-based actors co-evolve within Tourism 4.0. A qualitative exploratory case study used document analysis, 20 interviews, and two focus group discussions with key stakeholders (agencies, policymakers, and communities). Thematic analysis and ecosystem mapping traced the reconfiguration of monetary, data, and cultural value flow. A Drivers–Barriers Matrix interprets dynamics through the lenses of OI and dynamic capabilities. The results show that Indonesia’s ecosystem is in partial reconfiguration: digital efficiency (STAs) is advanced, but data and cultural flows remain critically weak, leading to limited cross-actor learning and fragmented governance. This structural asymmetry constrains the collective innovation. The Hybrid STA–CBTA model shows OI emerging from localized reconfiguration, linking digital intelligence with community authenticity. This study offers a new theoretical pathway by grounding OI in ecosystem reconfiguration, contributing to the understanding of emerging tourism markets. The Hybrid STA–CBTA model localizes smart tourism by integrating social and cultural dimensions into digital transformation, thereby advancing the global Tourism 4.0 discourse. The model provides actionable insights for policymakers to strengthen data interoperability and cultural co-creation, thereby enabling inclusive and sustainable innovation among public, private, and community actors.