Evidence-Based Tourism Policymaking, Policy Learning Capability, and Implementation Effectiveness: The Moderating Role of Data Governance Maturity

Abstract

Although there is a growing body of literature about tourism policy and governance, the evidence-based tourism policymaking (EBTP) and its impact on the effectiveness of implementation are under investigated. This research work fills this gap by discussing how EBTP affects implementation effectiveness (IE) in the mediating role of policy learning capability (PLC) within the Jordan tourism industry. Based on the quantitative research design, 241 policymakers, tourism administrators, and stakeholders in the tourism industry in Jordan were sampled in the study. According to the results, the increased level of EBTP have a great impact on PLC, which positively affect IE. Besides, the findings show that the correlation between EBTP and PLC is more positive under high DGM as opposed to low DGM. Besides, the correlation between EBTP and IE is seen to be mediated by PLC. This paper, based on the Resource-Based View (RBV) and the Institutional Theory, has added to the tourism policy literature by illuminating on the importance of data-driven decision-making and learning processes in the organization in as far as effective policy outcomes are concerned. The results provide useful implications to policy-makers and practitioners who need to reinforce tourism governance systems and improve the performance of policies in emerging economies like Jordan.