Exploring how entrepreneurial actors shape tourism development : the case of mountain bike tourism at Rotorua

Abstract

An increasing body of research highlights the pivotal role that private entrepreneurs play in driving tourism development. This paper adopts a broader perspective of entrepreneurship, which suggests that entrepreneurial actors are not necessarily defined by business ownership, but by their ability to recognise opportunities and create, organise and implement new ventures that generate value. To explore this broader perspective of entrepreneurship in a tourism development context, this paper presents the findings of a qualitative case study that investigates the evolution of mountain bike tourism at Rotorua in the North Island of New Zealand. Various types of data, including open ended interviews and secondary documentation, were collected and analysed. The findings suggest that the key events that have established Rotorua as a mountain bike destination have predominantly relied on entrepreneurial ventures instigated by public and not-for-profit community bodies. Insights gained highlight the temporal nature of entrepreneurship and that entrepreneurial actors who may not necessarily be considered part of the tourism industry can make a tremendous difference to the development and evolution of tourism activities.