Tourism Entrepreneurs Research Articles

Cooking Up Prosperity: Pop-Up Restaurants, Innovation, and Lifestyle Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is central to diversifying and enhancing the competitiveness of tourism offerings. The current literature underscores a critical oversight in nurturing entrepreneurship for tourism innovation and urges further exploration of entrepreneurial motivations in tourism start-ups. This is particularly relevant because the tourism sector heavily relies on new ventures to drive innovation, as established firms often struggle to meet the growing demand for distinctive and unique travel experiences. This study examines the entrepreneurial journey and innovation process within the tourism scene. Through comprehensive desk research and an in-depth entrepreneur interview, we aim to deepen our insights into the motivations driving entrepreneurs and the innovation processes behind their tourism products and services. Specifically, our research focuses on pop-up restaurants, illuminating their embodiment of innovation and lifestyle entrepreneurship. The findings reveal that a sense of freedom, creativity, and the pursuit of uniqueness stand out as key motivational factors of establishing pop-up restaurants. These motivations extend into a continuous business innovation cycle, as the drive to enhance and offer novel experiences remains paramount. This study elucidates the uncharted territory of tourism entrepreneurship and offers valuable insights into the driving forces and innovative dynamics within this evolving market.

Entrepreneurship in community tourism: a look at the economic and sustainable development of tourism in two riverside communities in the municipality of Parintins-AM

This study aims to present the importance of community tourism for the economic and sustainable development of tourism in the municipality of Parintins-AM. To this end, it is based on the theoretical foundations of Leff (2001, 2006 and 2010), Nascimento (2012), OMT (2003), Sachs (2012), Dias (2004), Rivas (2014), Thomas & Callan (2010) and others. The methodology in this work is eminently bibliographical, since it is a literature review, but as a proposal for actions that can be taken to improve community tourism. The suggestions made in this article can serve as a source of research for economists, administrators, tourism experts and other interested parties.

Nascent tourism entrepreneurship: the effect of business planning on new venture creation in the hospitality and tourism sector

Nascent tourism entrepreneurship: the effect of business planning on new venture creation in the hospitality and tourism sector

Rural Tourism in Mountain Rural Comunities-Possible Direction/Strategies: Case Study Mountain Area from Bihor County

Rural mountain areas and their local communities have been subject to research interest over time due to their large amount of available resources, but also their problems. The strategy for some of the rural mountain communities to simultaneously preserve and capitalize on the local resources sustainably is to combine traditional activities with those related to hospitality and recreation in the form of rural tourism activity. In this context, we have used a case study to examine development in a rural mountain community through tourism activities; the study site is the rural mountain area of Bihor County in the Apuseni Mountains, which has outstanding, but untapped, potential for development. In this paper, we address the centralization of representative resources on each component community of the chosen area, concrete information related to the current stage of the development and performance of the activity directly from those involved in the coordination of the activity (rural tourism entrepreneurs) using a specific questionnaire, and proposals for possible directions/strategies to ensure future development of this communities through rural tourism activities.

Gender, entrepreneurship and social policy in tourism: tying the knot

This article, and the special issue, seek to unpack the gendered nature of entrepreneurial pathways, specifically in relation to the role of social policies. We achieve this aim by first conceptualising gender, entrepreneurship, and social policy, to highlight the need to generate a stronger research agenda on the role of social policy within gender and tourism entrepreneurship research. We next outline an overarching framework for delineating the intersection of gender, entrepreneurship, and social policy, based on a critical review of existing studies, as well as by situating the papers in this special issue. We present this discussion through three thematic framings: (1) gender and entrepreneurship, (2) gender and social policy and (3) entrepreneurship and social policy. In conclusion, we discuss the implications for social policy and practice, and in doing so call for a research agenda that situates social policy more centrally within considerations of gender and tourism entrepreneurship.

Moving beyond western methods: a methodological toolbox for family entrepreneurship research in tourism by including children's voices

Recently, tourism scholars turned their attention to families, specifically children's experiences. Yet, research illustrating children's voices in tourism family entrepreneurship is missing. Social researchers are encouraged to include children's voices to reveal their lived experiences rather than considering them too vulnerable to be interviewed. This qualitative study, underpinned by constructivist epistemology, explored how families are embedded within lifestyle migration and the tourism entrepreneurial process on Hainan Island in China. A combination of methods was adopted to create a toolbox suitable for family research, including children's voices through whole-family interviews and LEGO® Serious Play® workshops. Playing LEGO® seriously ensures that the researcher does not drive participants' thoughts, and children can freely express their opinions in playful, metaphorical, and meaningful ways. Moving beyond Western-centered methods, data was collected at Old Dad Teahouses (or Lao Ba Cha 老爸茶 in Chinese) to create a friendly environment. Old Dad Teahouses are a Hainanese cultural ritual where locals gather to enjoy tea along with local savory snacks. Historically, the name Old Dad Tea refers to predominantly male customers over 50 years of age who regularly attended tea houses in the afternoon as part of their leisure. Nowadays, people who go to Old Dad Tea are more diverse in age and gender, and spending time there represents a popular leisure activity among families living in Hainan. We emphasize that our methodological toolbox allows us to explore how individuals construct their understanding through their own belief systems and culture. The methodological toolbox allowed us to understand the scholarship on family tourism entrepreneurship from a Chinese cultural perspective by providing insight into the experiences of 15 children from eight entrepreneurial families, providing agency to the children. This study aims to enrich the definition of family entrepreneurship by identifying how children as family members can influence migration and entrepreneurial behaviors and exploring the experiences gained by children through the entrepreneurial process. Children's voices are usually filled by adults within the family business unit. However, children are also rights holders and social agents. This study supports the right of children to participate and have their voices heard.

From empowering women to being empowered by women: A gendered social innovation framework for tourism-led development initiatives

Female entrepreneurship plays a crucial role in fostering tourism-led development (TLD). However, TLD narratives often focus on individual women's empowerment while overlooking underlying gender inequalities. They also neglect broader societal changes needed. To address this, we examine the interplay between empowerment and gendered social innovation in the context of a TLD project aimed at women entrepreneurs. Using a qualitative approach, this research involved in-depth semi-structured interviews with 32 women tourism entrepreneurs from Ecuador and México; and dialogues with 7 project team members. Results shed light on the intricate connection between individual and relational empowerment and gendered social innovation. This study's original contribution is a multiangled framework of gendered social innovation as an ongoing process of social change attached to female tourism entrepreneurship, empowerment, and evolving social practices of working with and among women tourism entrepreneurs as local partners. Theoretical and practical implications for policymakers and tourism-led development practitioners are discussed.

Trends in the development of social entrepreneurship in tourism

This article outlines the role of social entrepreneurship in the development of territories and maintaining the social infrastructure of regions and the country as a whole. The essence of social entrepreneurship in the field of tourism as a social institution is considered, within the framework of which various areas of support for people with disabilities, low-income and vulnerable segments of the population are implemented. The author has identified the main directions of development of social entrepreneurship in the field of tourism, based on general trends in the development of the field of social entrepreneurship in general and tourism in particular.

Comparative evaluation of tourism resources and young entrepreneurial potential of Cordoba, Eskişehir, and Treviso

The tourism sector plays a pivotal role in the economies of many nations, significantly bolstering national incomes by paving the way for new employment opportunities. A prime avenue for employment within the tourism sector is entrepreneurship, fundamentally viewed as a process of value creation. For budding tourism entrepreneurs, possessing a deep understanding of a region's tourism resources and activity hubs is paramount. Against this backdrop, this research seeks to juxtapose the tourism resource potential of Cordoba, Eskişehir, and Treviso for aspiring entrepreneurs. In the study's initial phase, a comprehensive database detailing the tourist attractions of these cities was crafted under the Erasmus+ project titled "Anti-Fragile Young Entrepreneurs for Sustainable Rural Tourism: Yes for Rural Tourism." Concurrently, the volume of tourists frequenting these regions was ascertained. Utilizing this database, standout labels within the tourism sectors of Cordoba, Eskişehir, and Treviso were pinpointed using "Word Cloud" analysis. This method effectively highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of the tourism landscapes in each province. Ultimately, this research endeavors to provide a roadmap for young tourism entrepreneurs and bolster the efforts of fellow researchers.

Turning crisis into chances: Tourism entrepreneurs’ timing strategies amidst emergencies

PURPOSE: Nowadays enterprises operate in a very turbulent environment characterized by frequent, significant, and often unpredictable changes. Such conditions, including crises, force enterprises to take quick actions to adapt to changing conditions. The aim of the paper is to identify chances and timing strategies used by tourism entrepreneurs in conditions of large-scale emergencies (such as COVID-19) and show how they can serve organizational resilience. METHODOLOGY: Qualitative research was conducted in the form of 12 individual in-depth interviews and 4 focus group interviews with 22 representatives of selected industries in the tourism sector. The concept of chance management and timing strategies is used to present how, according to our interviewees, changes in the environment caused by the pandemic contributed to the survival and development of their entities in the tourism market. FINDINGS: The research findings showed that changes caused by the pandemic allowed entities to identify several chances. These chances mainly concerned the introduction of changes to the offer (accelerating previously planned changes and enabling the introduction of unplanned changes). Moreover, they provided the chances to use held digital competences and time to think about the company’s development strategy, as well as establishing and developing relationships with stakeholders. Additionally, our research identified four timing strategies used by tourism entrepreneurs in the time of crisis, i.e. chance-grasping strategy, chance-entraining strategy, chance-riding strategy, and chance-creating strategy. IMPLICATIONS: Tourism enterprises are highly exposed to operating in crisis conditions. Therefore, chance management can be very useful in their activity and our research findings can be also useful regarding its theoretical and practical implications. From the theoretical point of view, we show how the concept of chance management (in particular timing strategies) can be useful for analyzing the reactions of tourism entrepreneurs to changes in times of crisis and taking advantage of opportunities arising from crisis situations. From a practical point of view, we show what strategies, depending on entrepreneurs’ subjective assessment of the current and future conditions for implementing changes, can serve organizational resilience in times of crisis. ORIGINALITY AND VALUE: This paper fills a research gap related to the use of the concepts of chance management and timing strategies from the perspective of tourist enterprises resilience, previously not used in this context and to a limited extent used in the general management literature so far.

Analysis of the Perception of Entrepreneurs in Tourism and Public Catering on The Role of Accounting Information in Decision-Making: A Survey Research

The focus of this study is to investigate the methods by which entrepreneurs make management accounting decisions related to output management, such as planning, investment and resource allocation. Dissemination and application of knowledge is a fundamental aspect of the study.The focus of this discussion is on knowledge management in the context of decision making using accounting information. A total of 11 cases will be examined. Entrepreneurs representing sectors such as hospitality, tourism and food and beverage offered their views on the use of accounting information in decision-making. The findings show that these participants find financial data useful in decision-making.The study found that entrepreneurs rely on the use of accounting information to make investment decisions, to evaluate management teams and to determine eligibility for bank loans. In order to make timely and accurate decisions, it is essential that the management of these entities have comprehensive information on the challenges and events they face. In essence, effective and contemporary management is contingent on having adequate knowledge.According to studies, accounting information is of significant importance in the tourism and food service industries, serving as a crucial factor in decision-making processes including pricing strategies, inventory control, investment options and financial planning. As a result, entrepreneurs who possess a comprehensive understanding and appreciation for accounting information are more likely to make well-informed decisions, thereby setting their businesses on the path to long-term sustainable success.

Culinary Storytelling About the Local Cuisine of Phitsanulok, Thailand

Culinary tourism is part of cultural capital that could generate income for local communities if well developed. Persuasive media, presented in various ways, plays a vital role in this development. The objective of this research, to create media with interesting and informative content to persuade foreign tourists to explore local Phitsanulok cuisine. This information was in-depth interviews that were conducted with 32 government tourism officials, 9 Chief Executives of the Sub-district Administrative Organization, 2 French nationals who were qualified chefs, and other foreigners resident in the Province. The second stage included the design and production plans for media to be developed highlighting and presenting local cuisine from each of the nine districts. The planned media was refined under the theme “Phitsanulok, a culinary delight.” This process included two French nationals who were residents in the Province who had created a unique genre of Thai Chinese fusion food. The media were focused on storytelling by these and other residents who were local participants in the culinary scene in Phitsanulok Province, intending to provide a first-hand account of the local traditional cuisine, and the enhanced genre provided by the French chefs. These stories were evaluated by 7 academicians, 3 media experts, and 3 tourism entrepreneurs, also taking into account feedback and responses from 275 social network users. This showed that Phitsanulok has the potential to be developed into a cultural city, scoring 8.13 based on the UNESCO City of Gastronomy project accreditation guidelines.

Informed local communities act as catalysts for tourism development: Evidence from rural India

Purpose – The level of tourism development in any destination is directly related to the cooperation of the local community, and this is especially true in rural areas in many parts of the world. Many governments initiate development programs related to tourism in rural areas to provide new opportunities for local communities. However, most local communities are unaware of these opportunities. This study therefore examined how tourism forums influence awareness and perceptions of tourism development. Design/Methodology – Data were collected from local tourism entrepreneurs using a structured questionnaire. Tourism entrepreneurs in this study include host families, hotels, gift stores, and transportation entrepreneurs from the rural region. Findings – The results indicate that there are significant differences in perceptions of tourism development between those who attend the forum(s) and those who do not. Furthermore, these differences vary between different types of tourism service providers. Perceptions of tourism service providers are influenced by their knowledge of tourism programs and their participation in public forums. Originality – All respondents in this study were first generation entrepreneurs, which in itself makes this study unique. The fact that tourism forum(s) act as a platform to eliminate misunderstandings between authorities and local communities has not been highlighted and distinguished in previous studies, which makes this study an original contribution.

Forest roads in Sweden – infrastructure with multiple uses and diverse impacts

Since the 1950s, more than 200 000 km of roads have been built in Sweden’s forests, making them easily accessible and open to multiple uses. The aim of this study was to review the impacts of forest roads in Sweden from a broad perspective encompassing social, ecological, and environmental factors. The Swedish case is interesting because it has an extensive network of permanent forest roads which were built primarily for forestry-related transportation but are currently used by many other stakeholders for many different purposes. Forest roads not only facilitate transportation of wood, machinery, personnel, and equipment into and out of the forest but also enable emergency response to wildfires and support berry and mushroom picking, hunting, recreation, tourism, and access to second homes. The roads increase the opportunities for members of the public to experience forests in various ways. Conflicts arise when different interests collide, for example when the interests of the forest owner clash with those of commercial berry-picking companies, tourism entrepreneurs, or reindeer (Rangifer tarandus L.) herding. Forest roads may have ecological impacts such as barrier and disturbance effects, fragmentation or loss of habitats, altering fauna movement patterns, and changing the composition of plant and insect species. The environmental impacts of forest roads relate to, among other things, hydrology, water quality, and erosion. Predicted changes in the climate are likely to place new demands on Swedish forest roads but, despite their extent, this review shows that there is only a small amount of rather fragmented research on their social, ecological, and environmental consequences. Overall, few studies appear to cover both social and ecological/environmental factors and their interactions, either in Sweden or elsewhere. This review provides examples of such interactions in the case of Sweden, and suggests that more research into these and the specific social, ecological, and environmental factors involved is warranted.

Water tourism demand in the Mekong River basin

This research aimed to explore the influences of water tourism demand on tourists' revisit intention. The data were collected by a questionnaire from a sample group of Thai and foreign tourists who used a water transportation service on the Mekong River in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR. The random sampling method was used as a convenience sampling technique by quota sampling and classified by ports that served tourists in the Luang Prabang area. Then, the data were analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using the ADANCO software program to verify the structural validity of the latent variables and analyze the model’s consistency. The study found that factors affecting the demand for water tourism consisted of two components: (1) Tourism factors and (2) water transportation factors on the Mekong River. Considering the factors that affected the demand for water tourism, it was found that the most influential factor was the water transportation of the Mekong River, especially the creation of a service product for tourists with the purpose of leisure and the type of water transportation service. Simultaneously, demand for water tourism was found to be one of the main factors reflecting the influence of tourists' revisit intention, especially water tourism on the Mekong River. According to the study, factors affecting the demand for water tourism in the Luang Prabang area greatly affected the demand for water tourism; in addition, the demand for water tourism affected the tourists' revisit intention as well. Therefore, entrepreneurs in water tourism should pay attention to water transportation, and whether it would be the type or design of the water transportation, standards of the water transportation, security measures, and setting a clear service schedule. etc., so that tourists could make their own travel plans to be more appropriate. Furthermore, the Lao government and the private sector should adopt common and unified policies for developing water tourism and promoting publicity and tourism marketing for the effectiveness of Luang Prabang’s water tourism activities.

Female Entrepreneurship in Small Tourism and Hospitality Firms in Poland

Female Entrepreneurship in Small Tourism and Hospitality Firms in Poland

Factors affecting motivation and performance of tourism entrepreneurs in Ethiopia

Factors affecting motivation and performance of tourism entrepreneurs in Ethiopia

Examining the challenges & problems faced by tourism social entrepreneurs in restoring craftsmanship at conflict-ridden tourist destinations

This study examines the problems and challenges faced by the tourism social entrepreneurs in Kashmir Valley of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, India, which has been witnessing a crisis due to political instability. This research aims to investigate how social entrepreneurship in the tourist industry affects artisans' livelihoods and the different trends in the development of craftsmanship. This research study employs a quantitative methodology and includes a sample size of 259 respondents selected through purposive sampling. The data was analysed utilising SPSS version 25.0, and the results demonstrate that marketing, financial issues, infrastructure deficiencies, and erroneous planning are the main impediments and difficulties faced by social tourism entrepreneurs in Kashmir. Furthermore, the results indicate that social entrepreneurship in the tourism industry can take several forms with effective administration and assistance. These activities may present substantial job prospects for skilled artisans. The findings of this research study can be utilized by academics, professionals, and researchers to formulate ideas and make progress in the field.

Systematic Literature Review of Health Tourism Innovation

Innovation is an important issue for any business and especially vital concept for the establishment and growth of a successful health tourism businesses for gaining business improvement and differential advantage in competition. Purpose of this study is to figure out gaps in the innovation in health tourism entrepreneurship literature, show the comprehensive whole situation, areas where the related areas focused on and indicate the related promising areas for research in health tourism innovation. Thus, the significance of this study lies in 2 sub topics as; 1) providing a brief literature review on health tourism innovation 2) indicate the research gaps in health tourism innovation. Results indicate that there is a serious research gap in the innovation studies in spa and wellness tourism, since studies are concentrated on health and medical tourism. Moreover, it is understood that qualitative research is preferred by the majority of the authors followed by the mixed methods which leads to a research gap for quantitative studies in the area. Hence, most researched areas consist of determinants of innovativeness, impact on costs, innovation’s relationship with sustainability, innovation drivers, collaboration, aspects of innovation on success, innovation types’ effectiveness on health tourism establishments and successful innovation applications.

The Robustness of Social Capital in The Wildlife Tourism Micro Entrepreneurship Arena

Purpose: Tourism plays an essential role in the country's economic development. Diversifying tourism products and services to meet the growing demand requires advanced business sector involvement. Due to geostrategic conditions, rural livelihood can be improved with the help of micro-entrepreneurship in the rural areas of Egypt. One of the fast-growing tourism in the country is supporting natural-based business such as wildlife truism micro-entrepreneurship, which provide the opportunity for people to participate in different types of entrepreneurship instead of working full-time or part-time in wildlife tourism entrepreneurship; people face many difficulties and hinders in small scale business based on nature. The main obstacle to micro-entrepreneurship is the need for social capital. Therefore, this study examines the role of social capital in wildlife tourism micro-entrepreneurship. Design/Methodology/ Approach: This quantitative approach is based on cross-sectional data. The study employed a survey questionnaire to collect the facts from the respondents doing micro-entrepreneurship in Egypt. The analysis used a convenience sampling method to get a quick response from the respondents. The sample size is 156 usable cases. Findings: The correlational and regression analysis show bonding social capital's positive and significant effect on wildlife tourism micro-entrepreneurship. On the other hand, bridging social capital has a significant negative impact on wildlife tourism micro-entrepreneurship. Research, practical and social implications: The study's findings would be beneficial to improve the economic conditions of Egypt, especially for the rural areas rich in natural resources, and people can have part-time or full-time opportunities for small-scale business or micro-entrepreneurship. This may bring economic prosperity and change people's livelihoods. Originality/ value: This study may be crucial to address the gaps in the empirical evaluation of Egyptian micro-entrepreneurship.