Entrepreneurial decisions in tourism and hospitality during crisis

Abstract

PurposeThe article examines the entrepreneurial decision-making in the Greek tourism and hospitality sector during a period of an economic crisis.Design/methodology/approachThe nationwide study includes the responses of 503 entrepreneurs engaged in the Greek travel, tourism and hospitality industry. The research employs fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), and examines trust, enterprising negotiation power, tourism decision-making considerations and crisis effects. It also includes the categorical data of operational mode and company type.FindingsThe analysis has generated three different pathways for entrepreneurial decision-making during crisis in the Greek tourism and hospitality sector. These pathways are (1) crisis conditions, (2) enterprising operations and focus and (3) enterprising capabilities.Research limitations/implicationsDue to the limited employment of fsQCA in the tourism sector, its full potential is still to be explored.Practical implicationsThe study provides three different pathways that Greek tourism entrepreneurs select for their decision-making according to the characteristics of their firms and their market orientation.Originality/valueTheoretically, the study contributes by enhancing understanding of entrepreneurial decision-making during periods of crisis. In the methodological domain, the research employs fsQCA, which has only recently started to be used in tourism and hospitality, and generally the service sector.