Social capital and entrepreneurial mobility in early-stage tourism development: A case from rural China

Lingxu Zhou, Eric Chan and Haiyan Song

Tourism Management, 2017, vol. 63, issue C, 338-350

Abstract: Early-stage tourism destinations often seek external capital to establish, invest and participate in tourism businesses at various levels. Entrepreneurial mobility at these destinations is thus an important phenomenon in need of further exploration both empirically and theoretically. This study uses an early-stage destination in rural China as a case to explore the experiences of inward entrepreneurial migrants in tourism development and associates their mobility, geographical and organisational, with dimensions of social capital, including institutional support, community openness and personal social networks. Primary interview data were collected from inward tourism entrepreneurs, key local community members and government officials related to tourism projects. The findings suggest that the inward entrepreneurs had unrealistic perceptions of the tourism industry before they entered. Entrepreneurial mobility in tourism development is influenced by all three social capital dimensions. The integration with the locality enhances the potential contribution of entrepreneurial mobility to tourism development.

Keywords: Social capital; Entrepreneurship; Mobility; Tourism development; Integration; Early-stage destination (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:touman:v:63:y:2017:i:c:p:338-350

DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2017.06.027

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