Exploring the Barriers to Innovation within North Cyprus Hotels

The aim of present study is to specify the barriers to innovation process which exist within North Cyprus hotels and trying to focus on the ways to overcome these barriers. This study is based on the previous literatures on innovation, the importance of innovation in hotel industry, and the barriers to innovation within hotel industry generally. Also this study draws attention to the key role of managers in the process of open innovation. Moreover, a sample of three, four and five star hotels was selected. The data were collected from 77 general and department managers that gave their ideas about innovation, procedure and outcomes. A self- administered questionnaire which was developed according to CENTRIM Model, was utilized as a tool to carry out the quantitative research. Then SPSS software was used for data analyze. The results demonstrated the weaknesses and strengths of the hotels in North Cyprus, which the weak points are considered as barriers to innovation. As innovation is a critical factor for firms to survive, so most of the hoteliers’ efforts should be focused on solving the obstacles. The most critical barriers to innovation in TRNC hotels are : lack of innovation culture, directing a creative culture and also directing a creative business. Keywords: Innovation, barriers, hotel industry, innovation culture, North Cyprus.