The role of religious accommodations business model during COVID-19

How virtuous business model innovation (BMI) of tourism firms can happen during COVID-19 is yet to be fully addressed. Prior research on tourism business models (BMs), whilst highlighting influencing factors and positive consequences on the sustainability of tourism firms and destinations, has neglected the theoretical perspectives. Also, the topic is overlooked regarding religious accommodations originating from the creative use of historic and cultural heritage, in spite of their link with innovation and sustainability. Interestingly, research and practice in hospitality argue that BMI might be a solution to successfully overcome COVID-19, calling for more research. In response, we explore how religious accommodations innovate their BM during COVID-19 maintaining themselves sustainable, and therefore competitive. We focus on the relationship of these firms with their destination jointly considering internal and external influencing factors and temporal dynamics by analyzing 10 Italian religious accommodations. We interpret the results through a co-evolution lens. We find that religious accommodations BMI can take place through diffused multilevel interactions and the feedback within destinations resulting in new organizational practices, and also policies, that innovate their BM, reinforcing sustainability. In this dynamic, an integrated view of time and knowledge can contribute to favour (or not), appropriate BMI in relation to environmental evolution. We offer a conceptual framework that conceptualizes BMI of religious accommodations as virtuous co-evolutionary processes. This approach may help business practitioners and policymakers to manage current problems through BMI.