Heritage Tourism and Social Value : Jackie Clarke, Ordinary Man, Extraordinary Legacy. ICTR, Valencia, March 2020, Accepted Working Paper Series.

The notion of social enterprise and social economy enjoys increasing political support within the European Union. Social economy entities contribute to employment, social cohesion, and rural development. Little is known however, regarding what tourism social enterprises do and more particularly what heritage tourism social enterprises do to engage local communities in the creation of social value. The study seeks to address this gap by way of empirical work within the context of an Irish heritage tourism social enterprise. The research site The Jackie Clarke Collection, is a heritage-based tourism attraction in the West of Ireland. It has been described as the most important private collection of Irish history material in public hands, the genesis of which lies in an altruistic and philanthropic gesture. The work is early-stage research and a theoretical framework is currently being developed. This working paper presents a summary of the academic literature reviewed to date and outlines the methodological approach adopted. 

 

Keywords: Heritage Tourism, Social Enterprise, Social Entrepreneurship, Social Value, Community Tourism, Social Transformation.