Tourism Providers’ Capabilities for Developing Creative-Sustainable Business Models in a Cross-Border Destination

This chapter examines the capabilities of tourism providers to develop creative-sustainable business models in a cross-border destination. It is based on the assumption that the development of such a destination depends not only on the cultural, natural, and identity resources of the area, but also on the ability of providers to transform these resources into economically viable, socially responsible, environmentally sensitive, and experience-oriented offerings. The empirical part is based on data collected within the CROCUS project among tourism providers and companies and organizations related to tourism in the Slovenian-Italian cross-border area. The analysis is descriptive and exploratory, as the number of valid responses differs across individual sections and is relatively small. The results show that the supply structure is characterized mainly by micro and small providers, intensive use of basic digital promotional channels, limited cross-border cooperation, and strong support for further tourism development. Providers perceive tourism as an important economic factor, particularly in terms of employment and support for local activities, while assessing the environmental dimension more cautiously. The greatest development potential lies in supporting cross-sectoral cooperation, involving local residents, transferring traditional knowledge, and linking cultural and creative tourism with local development. The chapter contributes to the understanding of creative-sustainable destinations from the providers’ perspective and proposes a diagnostic framework of business model maturity linking digital visibility, cross-border cooperation, value proposition, dynamic capabilities, sustainable decision-making, and a supportive destination environment.