Fostering tourism and entrepreneurship in fringe communities: Unpacking stakeholder perceptions towards entrepreneurial climate

Abstract

The success of entrepreneurial ventures in tourism is tied to the community ecosystem that supports it. As such, communities are continuing to assess their entrepreneurial climate to identify areas where new programs might enhance entrepreneurial success. Based on previous measures of entrepreneurial climate, the current study furthers the entrepreneurial ecosystem literature within the context of fringe communities as it relates to tourism development. Fringe communities, which are found in the peri-urban outskirts of major cities, have increasingly grown as the urban–rural divide continues to blur. Amenity migrants flock to these communities with access to “best of both worlds” with regard to having access to the resources available in both areas. Given the complexity of community demographics emerging in these communities, this study explored whether stakeholder demographics and relationship with the community affects perception of the entrepreneurial climate. Specifically, this research examined residents’ perceptions in a location demonstrative of fringe communities: Moore County, North Carolina, US. The study found that the most differing views were held on Basic Community Needs, Community spaces/green spaces, Innovative, supportive & celebratory environment, and Community spirit.

Conditions for Development of the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Tourism in the Border Area of the European Union: The Example of the Tri-Border Area of Poland–Belarus–Ukraine

“…The border itself is, therefore, an important factor in the development of tourism in border areas. Its presence determines the specificity of the conditions for the development of an entrepreneurship ecosystem in these areas that is absent in other areas, which is confirmed by the considerations of other studies [31,32,68,69].…”

The interface between hospitality and tourism entrepreneurship, integration and well-being: A study of refugee entrepreneurs

“…In line with the previous hospitality and tourism entrepreneurship literature (Fu et al, 2019), the findings also show that the sociocultural environment influences entrepreneurial activities. More specifically, as stated by Kline et al (2020), the findings of this study demonstrate that local community attitudes shape how entrepreneurship is received and supported within that society. This study went further than the existing hospitality and tourism entrepreneurship literature and demonstrates that in a multicultural society hospitality and tourism entrepreneurs need to consider both the economic and social realms of life simultaneously.…”

“…People who grow up in a society with 'entrepreneurial traditions' are more likely to engage in entrepreneurial activities (Elo & Dana, 2019). In addition, residents' attitudes also shape how entrepreneurship is received and supported in a community (Kline et al, 2020).…”

Non-farm proprietorship employment by micropolitan county

“…It is well established in the literature that entrepreneurship can contribute positively to economic growth (Henderson and Weiler, 2010; Stam, 2009; Acs and Armington, 2004). In a recent article, Kline et al (2020) referred to entrepreneurs as “some of the most significant change agents in development” (p. 15). Although there is no universal definition of entrepreneurship (Backman and Lööf, 2015), nonfarm proprietorship (NFP) employment has been commonly used as a proxy to better understand the determinants of growth and spatial distribution of entrepreneurship and self-employment (Goetz and Rupasingha, 2009; Debbage and Bowen, 2018; Bignall and Debbage, 2020).…”

“…However, some micropolitan areas are located some distance from neighboring metropolitan areas and many of these have unique, “stand-alone” local economies. Additionally, many micropolitan communities are unevenly distributed, “fringe communities” (Kline et al , 2020) that have been under-researched with respect to the geography of entrepreneurship. As such, this geography of “micropolitan opportunity,” while less well understood, is of increasing interest to policymakers and researchers.…”