Community networks and sustainable livelihoods in tourism: the role of entrepreneurial innovation

Abstract

Entrepreneurial innovation plays a significant role in tourism development, especially in communities with limited experience or expertise in tourism. Innovative tourism businesses, often in the small business sector, are likely to be more beneficial to the local community in terms of job creation and economic linkages. Such forms of tourism could offer new forms of livelihood in destination communities, making tourism an effective strategy for livelihood diversification that is more sustainable and community-based. Community-based tourism initiatives can also help form community networks that facilitate involvement of local stakeholders in a more efficient manner. This paper analyses the role of entrepreneurial innovation in facilitating community networks and sustainable livelihoods in tourism. A case study of an eco-heritage tourism resort of Coconut Palms, in the Indian state of Kerala provides an illustration of how entrepreneurial innovation helped form a community network and offer sustainable livelihood diversification opportunities to stakeholders in the periphery of tourism. The paper thus contributes an example of a sustainable community–private network and a new understanding into a phenomenon that has potential to make a real contribution to the lives of individuals in disadvantaged communities.