The Impact of Human Resource Innovation and Creativity on the Marketing Effectiveness of MSMEs in the Tourism Sector in Indonesia

INKUBIS: Jurnal Ekonomi dan Bisnis Volume 8, Issue 1, 486-498 e_ISSN: 2775-3913 https://inkubis.polteksci.ac.id/index.php/ink/index DOI: doi.org/10.59261/inkubis.v8i1.203 The Impact of Human Resource Innovation and Creativity on the Marketing Effectiveness of MSMEs in the Tourism Sector in Indonesia Astri Wulandari1* Riska Aprilina2 Bethani Suryawardani3 Telkom University, Indonesia Telkom University, Indonesia Telkom University, Indonesia *Corresponding author: Astri Wulandari, Telkom University, Indonesia. 🖂 Article Info : Article history: Received: March 27, 2026 Revised: April 27, 2026 Accepted: April 29, 2026 Abstract Background: The tourism sector is one of the mainstays of Indonesia's economy. Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) dominate both income generation and employment in this sector, contributing significantly to regional development. However, most tourism MSMEs still adopt conventional marketing methods, thus reducing their competitiveness in an increasingly digital and dynamic market environment. Objective: This study examines the impact of human resource (HR) Keywords: innovation and HR creativity on the marketing effectiveness of tourism Innovation; MSMEs in Indonesia. human resource creativity; Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional survey of 300 MSME owners and marketing effectiveness; tourism managers across major tourism destinations—Bali, Lombok, and MSMEs; digital marketing; Yogyakarta—was carried out. Data were collected through a structured Indonesia. survey questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis. Results: HR Innovation (Mean = 4.09) and HR Creativity (Mean = 4.23) received high scores but showed no significant relationship with marketing effectiveness (r ≈ −0.03; p > 0.05; R² = 0.002), indicating a very weak predictive model. This finding contradicts previous studies that found positive innovation–performance relationships. Conclusion: HR innovation and HR creativity are not significant predictors of marketing effectiveness. Organizational leadership, culture, and technological support are the key structural and systemic factors. Theoretical Contributions: This study highlights the need for an integrated HR development approach and theoretically contributes by demonstrating that creative resources require systemic mechanisms to translate into measurable marketing outcomes. To cite this article: Wulandari, A., Aprilina, R., & Suryawardani, B. (2026). The Impact of Human Resource Innovation and Creativity on the Marketing Effectiveness of MSMEs in the Tourism Sector in Indonesia. INKUBIS: Jurnal Ekonomi dan Bisnis, 8(1), 486-498. https://doi.org/10.59261/inkubis.v8i1.203 INTRODUCTION Tourism is also one of the most important pillars for both the national and regional economy in Indonesia. The sector is a major source of employment and an important means to generate local income, especially with the proliferation of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that empower communities (Md Husin & Haron, 2020; Nursini, 2020). Tourism MSMEs, particularly homestay operators, local tour guides, novel providers of health-supportive and behavior-change commodities, handicraft producers, as well as transportation and culinary enterprises, are important sustainers of tourism destinations and custodians of tourist sites, helping to preserve local cultural identity. In several rural and coastal regions, these businesses are the main sources of the local economy. Nevertheless, despite their crucial role, tourism MSMEs still need to deal with fundamental problems of finance, technology accessibility, high-quality human resources, and marketing capabilities. These challenges lead them to lack competitiveness INKUBIS: Jurnal Ekonomi dan Bisnis | 486 Astri Wulandari, Riska Aprilina, Bethani Suryawardani The Impact... in larger, more dynamic tourism markets. The rapid changes of consumer behaviors and the development of digital tourism platforms have made competition among tourism enterprises much fiercer. From personalized experiences to quality services and interactive digital communication, all the way through sustainable tourism, tourists today want more. In this regard, our literature review has identified new trends, whereby human resource creativity and innovation are receiving more attention as a source of competitive advantage for tourism MSMEs (Baggio et al., 2019; Rahman P et al., 2025; Tajeddini et al., 2020). Employees and business owners who can create new tourism products, develop attractive marketing content, and devise agile marketing strategies stand a better chance of enhancing customer engagement and market reach. Innovation-enhanced service delivery, branding, and digital communication will augment destination appeal and customer retention. Thus, human resources for innovation are no longer merely complementary assets but strategic determinants of sustainable tourism business. Past studies have highlighted that innovation and creativity are valuable components of corporate resilience, particularly during periods of environmental crisis such as natural hazards, fluctuating economic circumstances, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Adaptation of behaviors and practices was also beneficial for tourism businesses that were able to embrace digital technologies, innovate product and service design, and redesign marketing strategies, leading to better survival capacity and recovery performance (Boiko et al., 2022; Deb et al., 2024; Ogutu et al., 2023). However, particularly in developing-country contexts such as Indonesia, empirical evidence regarding the effects of human resource innovation on creativity and marketing performance among tourism MSMEs remains scarce. Most of the previous works have focused on large tourism businesses, as well as more general MSME sectors, which tend to include tourismbased MSMEs. This gap suggests the necessity for greater context-bound and evidence-led studies of what role innovation and creativity play in marketing effectiveness within family-run local tourism businesses. As reported by the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (2023), Indonesia has 64 million MSMEs, which comprise around 34% of the tourism sector GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Nonetheless, this significant contribution is associated with a low rate of digital transformation among tourism MSMEs. In a 2022 World Bank report, fewer than 30% of the Indonesian tourism MSME population actively use digital marketing platforms to grow and promote their businesses. Digital illiteracy, inadequate technology infrastructure, and poor training opportunities are still significant constraints on the road to marketing optimization. This indicates the need to identify a range of tangible interventions to enhance innovation capacity, creativity, and adaptive marketing skills among tourism MSME actors. Such a move would align with the SDG 8, SDG 9, and SDG 17 fram (...truncated)