Representing STARA competence and proactive behaviour in digital narratives of sustainable tourism leadership: An SDG-framed literary analysis of characterisation and agency
Main Article Content
Abstract
Digital tourism communication makes technological capability part of the moral story that destinations tell about sustainable development. Yet managerial research often reads such communication as evidence of organisational attributes rather than as crafted narrative. This article examines how digital texts characterise tourism leaders as competent in smart technologies, artificial intelligence, robotics, and algorithms, termed STARA, and as proactive agents of ecological change. Its bounded case corpus comprises eight English-language webpages published or available between 2021 and 2026 by Red Sea Global and five technology partners. The texts concern smart-destination planning, renewable-energy management, marine robotics, digital twins, artificial intelligence, connected visitor services, and electric mobility in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea destinations. Literary close reading, supported by a coding matrix, analyses voice, focalisation, characterisation, plot, temporality, setting, metaphor, modality, and distributed agency. The findings show that STARA competence is narrated through epistemic vision: leaders see systems whole, anticipate risks, translate data into decisions, and assemble partnerships. Proactivity appears as a recurring challenge-intervention-future-resolution plot. Environmental data make reefs, energy systems, and visitor journeys legible, but this focalisation also privileges what technology can measure. Corporate leaders, scientists, and platforms receive strong agency, whereas workers, residents, tourists, and nonhuman life seldom speak. The Sustainable Development Goals supply an implicit ethical horizon, Goals 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 17, although expansionary tourism plots can strain ecological claims. The proposed Narrated STARA Leadership Framework treats credibility as dependent on the relation among technological competence, proactive agency, ecological responsibility, stakeholder representation, SDG alignment, and evidential specificity.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This open-access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license.
You are free to: Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format. Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms: Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
No additional restrictions You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
How to Cite
Share
References
ABB. (2021, December 8). ABB powers Red Sea tourism project with smart energy technology. https://new.abb.com/news/detail/85573/abb-powers-red-sea-tourism-project-with-smart-energy-technology
ABB. (2025, February 11). Sustainable tourism and emobility: ABB's EVCI at The Red Sea and AMAALA destinations in Saudi Arabia. https://new.abb.com/news/detail/123357/sustainable-tourism-and-emobility-abbs-evci-at-the-red-sea-amaala-destinations-in-saudi-arabia
Bal, M. (2017). Narratology: Introduction to the theory of narrative (4th ed.). University of Toronto Press.
Bateman, T. S., & Crant, J. M. (1993). The proactive component of organizational behavior: A measure and correlates. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 14(2), 103–118. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.4030140202
Boje, D. M. (1991). The storytelling organization: A study of story performance in an office-supply firm. Administrative Science Quarterly, 36(1), 106–126. https://doi.org/10.2307/2393432
Boluk, K. A., Cavaliere, C. T., & Higgins-Desbiolles, F. (2019). A critical framework for interrogating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030 Agenda in tourism. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 27(7), 847–864. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2019.1619748
Bramwell, B., & Lane, B. (1993). Sustainable tourism: An evolving global approach. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 1(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669589309450696
Brougham, D., & Haar, J. (2018). Smart technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and algorithms (STARA): Employees' perceptions of our future workplace. Journal of Management & Organization, 24(2), 239–257. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2016.55
Buckley, R. (2012). Sustainable tourism: Research and reality. Annals of Tourism Research, 39(2), 528–546. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2012.02.003
Buhalis, D., & Amaranggana, A. (2015). Smart tourism destinations enhancing tourism experience through personalisation of services. In I. Tussyadiah & A. Inversini (Eds.), Information and communication technologies in tourism 2015 (pp. 377–389). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14343-9_28
Chronis, A. (2012). Tourists as story-builders: Narrative construction at a heritage museum. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 29(5), 444–459. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2012.691395
Crant, J. M. (2000). Proactive behavior in organizations. Journal of Management, 26(3), 435–462. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920630002600304
Delmas, M. A., & Burbano, V. C. (2011). The drivers of greenwashing. California Management Review, 54(1), 64–87. https://doi.org/10.1525/cmr.2011.54.1.64
DHI. (n.d.). Integrating regenerative tourism and conservation in the Red Sea. Retrieved September 11, 2026, from https://www.dhigroup.com/projects/integrating-regenerative-tourism-and-conservation-in-the-red-sea
Escalas, J. E. (2004). Narrative processing: Building consumer connections to brands. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 14(1–2), 168–180. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327663JCP1401&2_19
Fairhurst, G. T., & Grant, D. (2010). The social construction of leadership: A sailing guide. Management Communication Quarterly, 24(2), 171–210. https://doi.org/10.1177/0893318909359697
Floridi, L., Cowls, J., Beltrametti, M., Chatila, R., Chazerand, P., Dignum, V., Luetge, C., Madelin, R., Pagallo, U., Rossi, F., Schafer, B., Valcke, P., & Vayena, E. (2018). AI4People—An ethical framework for a good AI society: Opportunities, risks, principles, and recommendations. Minds and Machines, 28(4), 689–707. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11023-018-9482-5
Garrard, G. (2012). Ecocriticism (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203806838
Genette, G. (1980). Narrative discourse: An essay in method (J. E. Lewin, Trans.). Cornell University Press.
Globant. (2025, February 12). Globant partners with Red Sea Global to reinvent sustainable luxury tourism experiences in Saudi Arabia. https://investors.globant.com/2025-02-12-Globant-partners-with-Red-Sea-Global-to-Reinvent-Sustainable-Luxury-Tourism-Experiences-in-Saudi-Arabia
Gössling, S., Peeters, P., Hall, C. M., Ceron, J.-P., Dubois, G., Lehmann, L. V., & Scott, D. (2012). Tourism and water use: Supply, demand, and security. An international review. Tourism Management, 33(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2011.03.015
Gössling, S., Scott, D., & Hall, C. M. (2020). Pandemics, tourism and global change: A rapid assessment of COVID-19. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1758708
Grant, A. M., & Ashford, S. J. (2008). The dynamics of proactivity at work. Research in Organizational Behavior, 28, 3–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riob.2008.04.002
Gretzel, U., Sigala, M., Xiang, Z., & Koo, C. (2015). Smart tourism: Foundations and developments. Electronic Markets, 25(3), 179–188. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-015-0196-8
Gursoy, D., Chi, O. H., Lu, L., & Nunkoo, R. (2019). Consumers acceptance of artificially intelligent device use in service delivery. International Journal of Information Management, 49, 157–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2019.03.008
Hall, C. M. (2019). Constructing sustainable tourism development: The 2030 agenda and the managerial ecology of sustainable tourism. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 27(7), 1044–1060. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2018.1560456
Heise, U. K. (2008). Sense of place and sense of planet: The environmental imagination of the global. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195335637.001.0001
Herman, D. (2009). Basic elements of narrative. Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444305920
Higgins-Desbiolles, F. (2018). Sustainable tourism: Sustaining tourism or something more? Tourism Management Perspectives, 25, 157–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2017.11.017
Huang, M.-H., & Rust, R. T. (2018). Artificial intelligence in service. Journal of Service Research, 21(2), 155–172. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670517752459
Hulme, M. (2011). Meet the humanities. Nature Climate Change, 1(4), 177–179. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1150
Jamal, T. B., & Getz, D. (1995). Collaboration theory and community tourism planning. Annals of Tourism Research, 22(1), 186–204. https://doi.org/10.1016/0160-7383(94)00067-3
Jobin, A., Ienca, M., & Vayena, E. (2019). The global landscape of AI ethics guidelines. Nature Machine Intelligence, 1(9), 389–399. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42256-019-0088-2
Lyon, T. P., & Montgomery, A. W. (2015). The means and end of greenwash. Organization & Environment, 28(2), 223–249. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086026615575332
Mittelstadt, B. D., Allo, P., Taddeo, M., Wachter, S., & Floridi, L. (2016). The ethics of algorithms: Mapping the debate. Big Data & Society, 3(2), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1177/2053951716679679
Moscardo, G. (2020). Stories and design in tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 83, Article 102950. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2020.102950
Nixon, R. (2011). Slow violence and the environmentalism of the poor. Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674061194
Page, R. (2018). Narratives online: Shared stories in social media. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316492390
Parker, S. K., Williams, H. M., & Turner, N. (2006). Modeling the antecedents of proactive behavior at work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(3), 636–652. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.91.3.636
Red Sea Global. (n.d.). Regenerative tourism. Retrieved September 11, 2026, from https://www.redseaglobal.com/
Red Sea Global. (2022, July 24). From smart cities to smart destinations: How RSG is leading the way. https://www.redseaglobal.com/en/media-center/blog/from-smart-cities-to-smart-destinations-how-rsg-is-leading-the-way/
Red Sea Global. (2023, December 14). Red Sea Global and VAARST collaborate for advanced marine ecosystem mapping. https://www.redseaglobal.com/en/media-center/news/red-sea-global-and-vaarst-collaborate-for-advanced-marine-ecosystem-mapping/
Ryan, M.-L. (Ed.). (2004). Narrative across media: The languages of storytelling. University of Nebraska Press.
Scheyvens, R. (1999). Ecotourism and the empowerment of local communities. Tourism Management, 20(2), 245–249. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0261-5177(98)00069-7
Shamir, B., & Eilam, G. (2005). “What's your story?” A life-stories approach to authentic leadership development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 395–417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.005
Sharpley, R. (2000). Tourism and sustainable development: Exploring the theoretical divide. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 8(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669580008667346
Snowflake. (n.d.). Red Sea Global combines luxury travel with sustainable development using agentic AI. Retrieved September 11, 2026, from https://www.snowflake.com/en/customers/all-customers/case-study/red-sea-global/
Tussyadiah, I. P. (2020). A review of research into automation in tourism: Launching the Annals of Tourism Research curated collection on artificial intelligence and robotics in tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 81, Article 102883. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2020.102883
Tussyadiah, I. P., & Fesenmaier, D. R. (2009). Mediating tourist experiences: Access to places via shared videos. Annals of Tourism Research, 36(1), 24–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2008.10.001
United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda
Wirtz, J., Patterson, P. G., Kunz, W. H., Gruber, T., Lu, V. N., Paluch, S., & Martins, A. (2018). Brave new world: Service robots in the frontline. Journal of Service Management, 29(5), 907–931. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-04-2018-0119
Woodside, A. G., Sood, S., & Miller, K. E. (2008). When consumers and brands talk: Storytelling theory and research in psychology and marketing. Psychology & Marketing, 25(2), 97–145. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.20203
Yusoff, K., & Gabrys, J. (2011). Climate change and the imagination. WIREs Climate Change, 2(4), 516–534. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.117