<![CDATA[Tourism innovation plays a vital role in driving sustainable economic recovery, particularly in emerging destinations facing post-pandemic challenges. This study examines how innovation policies shape tourism competitiveness through the Innovation-Led Policy Pathway Framework, focusing on Kerinci District, Jambi Province, Indonesia. Employing a mixed-methods approach, data were collected from 30 key stakeholders through surveys and semi-structured interviews representing government, academia, industry, and community sectors. Quantitative analysis reveals that Innovation Outputs (β = 0.41, p < 0.01) and Enabling Environment (β = 0.32, p < 0.05) significantly influence tourism competitiveness (R² = 0.59), with reliability coefficients above 0.84. Qualitative findings highlight policy fragmentation, limited digital literacy, and weak institutional linkages as constraints, while community creativity and eco-innovation emerge as local strengths. The study concludes that competitiveness improves when innovation inputs such as human capital and digital readiness are transformed into tangible outputs through coordinated policies and collaborative governance. Strengthening policy coordination, digital capacity, and eco-innovation standards is recommended to embed innovation as a systemic driver of sustainable tourism growth aligned with SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure).]]>
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