Ziene Mottiar

Couple dynamics in household tourism decision making: women as the gatekeepers?

The purpose of this study is to explore household tourism decision making. There is an extensive literature on consumer choice in general.1-3 In terms of tourism, the main focus has been on motivational factors,4-6 but as part of the emergence of a literature which studies the issues of tourism and gender, there are some authors who focus on holiday decision making.7-9 In this context the focus here is on the distinctive roles and power relations within a couple. The study is exploratory in nature and employs a self-administered questionnaire. It is concluded that the overall consumption of a holiday is largely a joint decision, but when the purchase is broken down into different stages females have a dominant role in the early stages of the process, possibly making them the gatekeepers.

Understanding lifestyle entrepreneurs and digging beneath the issue of profits: profiling surf tourism lifestyle entrepreneurs in Ireland.

An area of particular interest for those researching in tourism entrepreneurship has been lifestyle entrepreneurs. Lifestyle entrepreneurs are primarily motivated by the need to succeed at living a certain quality of life by maintaining an income which allows them to survive. The dichotomy between entrepreneurs who develop businesses for profit and those who are motivated by lifestyle has formed the basis of much discussion about lifestyle entrepreneurs in the literature. Two groups of lifestyle entrepreneurs have been conceptualised: constrained and non-constrained. This paper contributes to our understanding of lifestyle entrepreneurs by presenting six case studies of surf tourism lifestyle entrepreneurs to investigate common themes and characteristics. This paper investigates lifestyle entrepreneurs in Ireland who have established surf businesses in the west of Ireland. Key questions posed include: Are there commonalities between these entrepreneurs in terms of their background, both in terms of their business and private lives? Why did they embark on this particular entrepreneurial journey? How do they inter-relate with other local entrepreneurs? What are their visions for the future of their business? Has the business grown in size over time from how they first envisioned it? Have their original lifestyle goals shifted? The empirical research, which comprises of in-depth interviews, provides rich data which brings us beyond the single issue of whether profits are a key motivation. By studying lifestyle entrepreneurs as a group on their own (rather than trying to compare them with regular entrepreneurs) we are free to investigate beyond the traditional constructs of business research which focuses primarily on profits, strategy and operations. In so doing we are able to add to knowledge regarding this already identified important group of tourism entrepreneurs. Findings show the importance of past travel experiences and that motives do change over time.

Holiday Home Owners, a Route to Sustainable Tourism Development? An Economic Analysis of Tourist Expenditure Data

Although sustainable tourism comprises economic, social and environmental aspects, economic analysis has been less evident in the literature. This paper takes an economic perspective to evaluate the contribution of holiday home owners to a local economy. Tourism destinations which are at the mature stages of the tourism lifecycle wish to maximise revenue from tourism while minimising costs such as overcrowding. A prime objective has to be to attract the more economically valuable tourists. In this paper an analysis of North Wexford in Ireland poses questions such as: How does the holiday home owners’ expenditure in the local area compare to that of traditional tourists? Do they purchase different types of goods? What levels of local expenditure do holiday home owners engage in for the upkeep or development of their second properties? What are the implications of these findings? The results show that there are clear economic benefits for an area that people deem attractive enough to build or purchase a holiday home in. This type of tourist has a high annual spend relative to other tourists and much of this expenditure seems to be concentrated in the local area. These findings need to be incorporated into the broader debate regarding the advantages and disadvantages of holiday home owners and the possibility of them comprising a route to sustainable development for local tourist areas.

Motivations of Social Entrepreneurs: Blurring the social contribution and profits dichotomy

Purpose – The aim of this study is to empirically investigate the additional motives, aside from the social interests that motivate social entrepreneurs. This paper does so by using an inductive approach and specifically carrying out a re-examination of two pieces of research examining social entrepreneurship that were carried out independently by the two researchers in South Africa and Ireland. Design/methodology/approach – The method used for the paper is content analysis. Research using qualitative content analysis focuses on the characteristics of language, talk and conversation (Sarantakos, 2005) with attention paid to the content or contextual meaning of the text. Thus, a qualitative content analysis is concerned with an examination of the uses of language. According to Downe-Wambolt (1992, p. 314), the aim of content analysis is “to provide knowledge and understanding of the phenomenon under study”. Findings – The findings indicate that the informants do have additional motivations with respect to ...

The Dynamic Role of Entrepreneurs in Destination Development

This article explores the significant role that entrepreneurs play in destination development. It contends that while the influence of entrepreneurs is discussed in the literature, scant attention has been paid to the dynamic, catalytic and longstanding nature of this influence. This research shows that entrepreneurial activity is dynamic and creative, and has the ability to influence the creation of a culture for tourism that underpins tourism development over long periods of time. Employing a qualitative case study approach, the research investigates Killarney, County Kerry, a developed tourism area in Ireland. It identifies not only the way in which entrepreneurs can shape development at a tourism destination at a particular time but also how this influence can continue long after the original entrepreneur is involved. These entrepreneurs are acknowledged as key “tourism influentials” that underpin the initial and continued development of tourism through their actions.

Lifestyle Entrepreneurs and Spheres of Inter-Firm Relations: The Case of Westport, Co Mayo, Ireland

A relatively small body of literature in tourism concentrates on the issues of small firms and entrepreneurs and ‘this area of inquiry is vastly under-researched’ (Thomas, 2004, p 1). A key piece of research (Rimmington et al, 1999) classifies entrepreneurs in the tourism sector, and one category that has received research attention has been that of lifestyle entrepreneurs. This article outlines the literature on lifestyle entrepreneurs and concludes that much of the focus to date has been on the individual entrepreneur. The paper investigates how lifestyle entrepreneurs interact with other entrepreneurs in the location where they operate, and their involvement in the local dynamics of the place. The area studied in this regard is Westport, Co Mayo, Ireland. Rather than focusing within the boundaries of the firm, the attention here is on the interaction between firms and within the location. The first section discusses the literature on lifestyle entrepreneurs and the nature of inter-firm relations; the second outlines the research objectives and the methodology; the third describes the location of the study; and the fourth outlines and analyses the findings of the research. In conclusion, the author considers what contribution this research makes to the literature and understanding of lifestyle entrepreneurs.

Webs of power: multiple ownership in tourism destinations.

It has been widely noted in the tourism small business literature that collaboration between groups of businesses operating within clusters contributes both to business development and the success of destinations and regions. This paper aims to contribute to the research on tourism destination networks by focusing on multiple ownership, or portfolio entrepreneurship, where more than one small or micro business within a specific destination are owned by the same entrepreneur. Courtown in Ireland and Goöreme in Turkey are presented as two case studies in which the existence of multiple owners was identified. The implications of multiple ownership on tourism operation in these two destinations are examined taking, first, a supply side approach in studying the effect on the firms and products in the area of Courtown. Second, a demand side approach is taken by assessing the implications of multiple ownership for tourists in Goöreme. Factors considered include implications for inter-firm cooperation, barriers to entry for potential firms and the tourist experience. It is concluded that the practice of multiple ownership creates webs of power which embroil tourists and significantly impact on the business structure and operation of the tourism destination.

The importance of local area as a motivation for cooperation among rural tourism entrepreneurs

ABSTRACT This paper explores the issue of entrepreneurial motivations among rural tourism entrepreneurs in choosing to engage in cooperation. It analyzes literature which deals with the role of entrepreneurs and the development of rural destinations and highlights the fact that the role of entrepreneurs has been understated. Using mixed research methods and studying two rural areas in Ireland it addresses research questions such as why do rural tourism entrepreneurs engage in cooperation? How did this cooperation emerge? And how do they choose who to co-operate with? The key finding is that while these entrepreneurs are motivated to co-operate as they think it will have a positive impact on their business, for many, a key motivation is also the impact on their area. As such it is concluded that we need to be cognisant of the fact that rural tourism entrepreneurs are motivated not just by profit and individual gain and that the local area is also an important motivator.

Understanding How Social Entrepreneurs Fit into the Tourism Discourse

This chapter discusses how social entrepreneurs fit into the existing tourism discourse taking place in the academic literature. There are many areas of discourse that intersect with social entrepreneurship however this chapter identifies those that are closest to the topic of tourism social entrepreneurship. It examines four areas of literature in particular; tourism entrepreneurs, sustainability, destination development and intrapreneurship. It then analyzes how introducing the concept of social entrepreneurs into these discussions can contribute to our understanding of the phenomenon and its development. The key argument is that research on social entrepreneurs is not just relevant for those interested in entrepreneurs it also effects our thinking on issues such as destination development, relationships between stakeholders, tourism policy and sustainability. The outcome of the chapter is to point the way for tourism researchers to extend the scope of research on this topic.

Leisure space reflecting changing city demography: tracking the phase of an international quarter development in Parnell Street East, Dublin

Ireland has undergone significant economic and social change and with high levels of immigration there are now more than 100 different nationalities living in Dublin city. The broad question is has the leisure space in the city adapted to reflect the increasingly multicultural Dublin population? The particular topic of concern in this research note is to track the development of Parnell Street East area from its emergence as an Asian enclave, to efforts by immigrant entrepreneurs to create a Chinatown, to the more recent Dublin County Council policy of developing it as an international quarter. This is the first part of the larger ongoing study and this paper focuses on the Asian cohort of entrepreneurs. The key research questions are: (1) How has this leisure space developed? (2) What has been the role of local Asian immigrant entrepreneurs in these developments? and (3) What role have policy-makers played in this process? The study’s preliminary findings are presented in a chronological manner with 3 phases of development identified and discussed. Within these developmental phases, the voices of key players are presented, offering a comprehensive picture of how this leisure space has been developing since its inception and what roles both Asian immigrant entrepreneurs and local policy-makers have played.