"Perceptions on sustainable etrepreneurship of tourism SMES operating in the coastal and maritime areas- The case of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus "

Abstract

In the era of tourism growth, this thesis examines the relationship between sustainability and tourism enterprises operating in coastal and marine destinations. Along with its positive effects, tourism in most cases has several negative impacts on these popular but also vulnerable areas. Against this backdrop, the research seeks to discover how the predominant small and medium tourism enterprises could advance sustainable tourism in Cyprus. Ultimately, the objective of the thesis is to analyse their perception of sustainable entrepreneurship, which is a management method that contributes to all three levels of sustainability. This aim was to be reached through the following objectives: 1. To examine the importance of sustainable entrepreneurship for SMEs operating in coastal and maritime areas, in general and in the Mediterranean island destination of Cyprus. 2. To analyse the challenges and opportunities that tourism SMEs operating in coastal and maritime areas may face regarding sustainable entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean island destination of Cyprus. 3. To analyse the reasons for tourism SMEs operating in coastal and maritime areas for their level of involvement in sustainable entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean island destination of Cyprus through a series of motivational determinants. 4. To measure the level of importance that tourism SMEs operating in coastal and maritime areas attach to a series of actions regarding sustainable entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean island destination of Cyprus. 5. To explore the association between the nature of SMEs and their motivation for involvement in sustainability actions. 6. To suggest managerial strategies for the effective implementation of sustainable entrepreneurship by tourism SMEs operating in coastal and maritime areas. The methodology applied involves a comprehensive analysis of data collected in three phases through in-depth interviews and surveys with the participation of tourism professionals and owners/managers of companies. Findings uncover that sustainable entrepreneurship is a method to foster sustainability in coastal and marine destinations. The research reveals the importance of and involvement in sustainability actions, the reasons, challenges, and opportunities related to the involvement, as well as the association between the characteristics of companies and their sustainability actions. Concretely, findings suggest tourism enterprises’ common interest in sustainability and that they consider environmental actions distinctly important, while, when it comes to practice, they are mostly holistically involved in sustainability actions. In addition, it was shown that SMTEs are highly concerned by the persistence of the company and that they are socially sensitive. Besides, the study identified business-related reasons, such as the positive impact of sustainability actions on the image of the enterprise and expectations from the demand side, as the main motives for taking sustainability actions. Furthermore, the importance of relationships and government-related barriers were perceived as the most common hindering forces, and the availability of local (fresh) and environmentally friendly products was perceived as the main opportunities for sustainability involvement. In addition to the results, the theoretical implications encompass a suggested framework for sustainable entrepreneurship in tourism. Based on the findings of earlier literature and of the study, it represents the effects of sustainable entrepreneurship in a destination as well as the internal and external factors impacting on the involvement. In this way, it also offers the structure for further research and for theory development. Regarding the practical implications, the thesis contributes to the shaping and refinement of sustainability-oriented policies. It highlights the strong capacity of small and medium tourism enterprises to further sustainability, along with the measures to take by public authorities to encourage the sustainability involvement of these companies, such as increased financial support, organization of training, and improvement of communication. Furthermore, it also reveals the potential business advantage that sustainable entrepreneurship may generate and proposes a sustainable business model for coastal and marine tourism enterprises, recommended for other sectors as well. This model offers guidelines on how coastal and marine tourism enterprises can improve their operation by integrating the principles of the three sustainability pillars through the assessment of the activities from a sustainability perspective. This thesis contributes to the comprehension of sustainable tourism and sustainable entrepreneurship by shedding light on how small and medium-sized tourism enterprises operating in a coastal destination perceive sustainable entrepreneurship. Moreover, by stressing the issues to address for the advancement of sustainability involvement of these companies in a particular setting, it also opens new directions for further research in other contexts.