Designing digital governance for regenerative tourism: an exploratory case study of Travelware

Introduction Regenerative tourism raises questions about how destinations can translate commitments to community and ecological wellbeing into governance practices. Drawing on service-dominant logic and the service ecosystem perspective, this exploratory single-case study examines how Travelware, an Italian Benefit Corporation developing a tourism platform based on decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), approaches regenerative value co-creation through digital governance. Methods Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with three company representatives; they were analyzed using the Gioia methodology. Results The analysis identifies three aggregate dimensions: regenerative orientation to value creation, reconfiguring value co-creation in the service ecosystem, and technology as an active relational mediator. Managers describe community proposal and voting procedures intended to support collective project selection, with local organizations contributing resources to implementation. They attribute contribution recognition and voting controls to block chain and smart contracts, describe algorithms matching traveler interests with destination characteristics, and outline a planned system for monitoring territorial impacts. Discussion The discussion interprets these findings as an articulation of regenerative aims, participatory institutional arrangements, and digital mediation within a service ecosystem. The case suggests that translating regenerative aims into governance involves both participation procedures and coordination with organizations able to implement community proposals. The study contributes a context-specific account of governance design rather than evidence of achieved regenerative outcomes. It concludes that managers should connect participation design with implementation responsibilities and impact assessment, while comparative and longitudinal research should examine how these arrangements operate across tourism settings.