Originality/value – Sustainable destination competitiveness greatly depends on effective strategies as
well as efficient and inclusive processes and structures. Existing research on destination management
and destination governance clearly illustrates the relevance of these requirements. However, the human
factor in the form of motivation, inspiration, and role modeling – i.e. destination leadership – is also
crucial. Yet, so far leadership has not received the necessary attention in both tourist destinations and
networked environments in general. This is all the more remarkable since social networks pose particular
challenges for leadership.
Keywords Tourism, Distributed leadership, Leadership networks, Destination governance,
Destination leadership, Relational leadership, Systemic leadership
Paper type Conceptual paper