Webs of power: Multiple ownership in tourism destinations

It has been widely noted in the tourism small business literature that collaboration between groups of businesses operating within clusters contributes both to business development and the success of destinations and regions. This paper aims to contribute to the research on tourism destination networks by focusing on multiple ownership, or portfolio entrepreneurship, where more than one small or micro business within a specific destination are owned by the same entrepreneur. Courtown in Ireland and Göreme in Turkey are presented as two case studies in which the existence of multiple owners was identified. The implications of multiple ownership on tourism operation in these two destinations are examined taking, first, a supply side approach in studying the effect on the firms and products in the area of Courtown. Second, a demand side approach is taken by assessing the implications of multiple ownership for tourists in Göreme. Factors considered include implications for inter-firm cooperation, barriers to entry for potential firms and the tourist experience. It is concluded that the practice of multiple ownership creates webs of power which embroil tourists and significantly impact on the business structure and operation of the tourism destination.