Sead Baraku1,
Alkida Hasaj2
1Department of Tourism, Faculty of Economy, University of Shkodra Luigj Gurakuqi, Shkodër, Albania, 4001; E-mail: seadbaraku@unishk.edu.al, ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-4625-7747
1Department of Tourism, Faculty of Economy, University of Shkodra Luigj Gurakuqi, Shkodër, Albania, 4001; E-mail: alkida.hasaj@unishk.edu.al, ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5081-5019
Abstract
The research examines the influence of digitalization on economic performance in rural economies, specifically through two key mechanisms: the integration of tourism and agriculture value chains, where digital technology facilitates information sharing, process coordination, and joint planning among sector actors; and enhanced cross-sector coordination, where digital tools streamline communication and resource management between firms. The study, focusing on Northern Albania and the Western Balkans, adopts a mechanism-based perspective to assess how these processes contribute to economic outcomes. Grounded in the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework and supply chain integration (SCI) theory, the proposed model posits that digital adoption impacts performance both directly and indirectly via integration, with infrastructure serving as a moderating factor—a mixed-method, multi-level research design is utilized. At the micro level, primary data from 118 agricultural and tourism firms are analyzed using factor analysis, correlation, and regression models. At the macro level, a dynamic longitudinal model is applied to Western Balkan economies (2010–2023) to evaluate the roles and interactions of tourism, agriculture, and digitalization in affecting economic performance. The findings demonstrate that digital adoption significantly enhances supply chain integration, which, in turn, exerts a strong positive effect on economic performance, confirming the mediating role of integration. The direct effect of digitalization is comparatively weaker, suggesting that value is generated primarily through these coordination mechanisms. Infrastructure substantially strengthens the relationship between digital adoption and integration, underscoring the conditional nature of digital transformation. At the regional level, the positive and significant interaction between tourism and agriculture confirms that sectoral complementarity contributes to economic growth, particularly in digitally enabled environments. The results indicate that digital transformation operates as a systemic driver of economic integration rather than as an isolated technological factor. By advancing a multi-level, coordination-based perspective, the study offers theoretical contributions and practical consequences for decision-makers and stakeholders aiming to foster integrated, resilient, and digitally enabled rural economies.
Keywords: Digitalization; Value chain integration; Agri-tourism; Rural economies; Supply chain integration; Western Balkans; Economic performance
JEL Classification: O33; Q13; L83; R11; O18