Reverse innovation and digital sustainability in rural destinations: evidence from Iran's Hawraman

Paper Details

Authors: Torabi Z.-A.; Davani P.; Jalilian P.

DOI: 10.3389/frsut.2026.1745982

Journal: Frontiers in Sustainable Tourism

Year: 2026

Publisher: Frontiers Media SA

Document Type: Article

Open Access: All Open Access; Gold Open Access; Green Open Access

Cited by: 0

Abstract

Introduction – This study examines digital entrepreneurship in two rural heritage villages—Hajij and Palangan—located within Iran's UNESCO World Heritage landscape of Hawraman, with a focus on how technological adoption is experienced under infrastructural constraints. Methods – A hermeneutic phenomenological approach informed by Heideggerian philosophy was employed. In-depth interviews were conducted with 21 entrepreneurs to explore the lived experience of digital entrepreneurial practice in heritage settings. Results – The analysis identified five interrelated experiential dimensions: infrastructural liminality, identity-functional duality, collective-relational agency, re-adaptive cycle, and contextual spirituality. Together, these dimensions constitute a pentagonal framework structuring digital entrepreneurship in rural heritage destinations. Discussion – Findings indicate that infrastructural limitations operate not merely as barriers but as catalysts for reverse adaptive innovation, collective resilience, and culturally embedded technological appropriation. The study advances the concepts of evolutionary authenticity and heritage co-creation, offering transferable insights for sustainable digital transformation in heritage destinations. Copyright © 2026 Torabi, Davani and Jalilian.

Keywords

adaptive innovation; digital entrepreneurship; heritage tourism; infrastructural liminality; Iran; sustainable development

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