Understanding How Social Entrepreneurs Fit into the Tourism Discourse

This chapter discusses how social entrepreneurs fit into the existing tourism discourse taking place in the academic literature. There are many areas of discourse that intersect with social entrepreneurship however this chapter identifies those that are closest to the topic of tourism social entrepreneurship. It examines four areas of literature in particular; tourism entrepreneurs, sustainability, destination development and intrapreneurship. It then analyzes how introducing the concept of social entrepreneurs into these discussions can contribute to our understanding of the phenomenon and its development. The key argument is that research on social entrepreneurs is not just relevant for those interested in entrepreneurs it also effects our thinking on issues such as destination development, relationships between stakeholders, tourism policy and sustainability. The outcome of the chapter is to point the way for tourism researchers to extend the scope of research on this topic.