Social Value Through Heritage Tourism: CUA Research Symposium, Sligo, January 2020

Scant attention to date has been paid to the social dimension of tourism entrepreneurship. Identifying this research gap, Altinay et al., (2016) citing Thomas, Shaw and Page (2011), call for research into this emerging form of tourism entrepreneurship. The study seeks to address this gap by means of empirical inquiry within the context of an Irish heritage tourism social enterprise. 

Heritage is an integral part of Ireland's cultural /creative tourism offering and is increasingly understood as a "social asset". The research setting, The Jackie Clarke Collection, located in Ballina, Co Mayo is a free admission attraction. The genesis of the collection lies in a significant, philanthropic gesture. Combining free admission with extensive educational programming, underpinned by a largely volunteer resource, renders it a social enterprise.  

Inextricably linked to the utilisation of historic resources, heritage tourism is reaching a stage of maturity (Timothy, 2018). Four themes are evident, tourists' experiential engagement, a crossover between heritage and tourism, technological innovations and tourism stimulating more accurate portrayals of the past (Timothy, 2018). It is the latter research theme of heritage tourism’s concern with more accurate portrayals of the past which is of particular interest. As tourist's demand more impartial narratives, this lends credence to and acceptance of the vernacular heritage of ordinary people in the tourism-capes of places (Timothy, 2018). Focusing on this theme of an “ordinary person’s” contribution to the tourism-capes of a place, the research explores how a heritage based social tourism enterprise accesses/mobilises resources for the creation of social value.