Purpose: This study uses the knowledge-based view to examine resilience in the tourism and hospitality sector, recognizing that adapting to disruptions is critical to safeguarding firm performance and profitability. To this end, it examines how organizations’ ability to manage knowledge through four strategic orientations, technology (TO), customer (CuO), competitor (CoO) and interfunctional coordination (IO), is associated with organizational resilience (OR) and open innovation (OI). It also examines the moderation effects of competition intensity (CI) and resource orchestration capability (ROC), as well as moderated mediation effects.

Design/methodology/approach: This study uses a quantitative research design to collect data from firms in the sector. Data were collected through multi-wave surveys administered via Prolific Academic, yielding 195 responses, and analyzed using structural equation modeling.

Findings: Results confirmed the following positive associations: CuO with OR; CuO and CoO with OI; and OI with OR, as well as intervening mechanisms, including the mediation effect of OI in the relationship between CuO and CoO, respectively, and OR; the moderation effect of CI on the relationship between CuO and IO, respectively and OI, and the moderation effect of ROC on the relationship between IO and OI. Finally, the moderated mediation effects were also supported.

Originality/value: This study uses the knowledge-based view to provide a novel elucidation of the strategy–innovation–resilience nexus, addressing a persistent gap in tourism and hospitality literature. It makes an original contribution by providing fine-grained insights based on four strategic orientations, open innovation and their interaction with CI and ROC.