Unpacking Key Sustainability Drivers for Sustainable Social Enterprises: A Community-Based Tourism Perspective

Trin Thananusak and Suparak Suriyankietkaew ()
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Trin Thananusak: College of Management, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
Suparak Suriyankietkaew: College of Management, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 4, 1-23

Abstract: This study unpacked the key sustainability drivers for successful social enterprises or community-based tourism enterprises (CBTEs), based on a study of a Thailand’s Best Responsible Tourism award-winner at Sapphaya Community in Chai Nat Province. Using a grounded-theory qualitative case study, our key research objective is to gain insights into how community and enterprise leaders of a national award-winning CBTE in Thailand can generate value by revalorizing its cultural heritage and local assets to achieve sustainable community-based tourism. The research also explores how the CBTE can increase local engagement with multi-stakeholders. Our findings indicated two key sustainability drivers, including leadership and local engagement, for sustainable social enterprises. An emergent model of leadership and local engagement in driving the sustainability of CBTEs is proposed. It implies an importance of CBTE leadership as a critical factor that helps preserve community endowments (e.g., historical sites and cultural heritage) as well as develops social capital. The local engagement with a good sense of ownership and community participation is the key enabler toward sustainable tourism. The results also suggest how-to processes in cultivating sustainable social enterprises in practice and toward policy implications.

Keywords: sustainable enterprise; sustainable entrepreneurship; social entrepreneurship; community-based tourism enterprise; community-based social enterprise; social enterprise; community-based tourism; sustainable tourism; sustainable development; sustainability; SDG (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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