The purpose of this research is to reveal the influence of intellectual capital, potential absorptive capacity, realized absorptive capacity, and cultural intelligence on innovation in the tourism sector in Batam City. Batam has geopolitical and geographic advantages, located in the Malacca Strait, adjacent to and directly facing Singapore and Malaysia. It has not been optimal in exploring the potential for innovation in the tourism sector. Thus, this sector does not yet have a significant contribution to economic development. The research was conducted on the management of companies that are members of the Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies in Batam City, totaling 54 people. By using the analysis of Structural Equation Model (SEM) with SmartPLS version 3.0, the results show that 1) intellectual capital has no effect on innovation; 2) potential absorptive capacity has no effect on innovation; 3) Realized absorptive capacity has a significant positive effect on innovation, and 4) Cultural Intelligence has a significant positive effect on innovation. The results of this study will give some insight to company managers in the tourism sector for developing innovation to maintain business continuity.