Categories of Small Tourism Businesses
This sub-module gives an overview of the various small business categories in tourism, defining their profiles and highlighting the unique characteristics of each category. The goal is to show how different types of small businesses operate within the tourism industry and the roles they play in promoting circular tourism.
This sub-module gives an overview of the various small business categories in tourism, defining their profiles and highlighting the unique characteristics of each category. The goal is to show how different types of small businesses operate within the tourism industry and the roles they play in promoting circular tourism.
Deep Dive into Key Topics
Small tourism businesses come in various forms, each with unique profiles and value propositions. Understanding these categories is crucial for grasping how the broader tourism industry functions and how circular practices can be implemented within each. Here are the key categories of small businesses in tourism and their general profiles:
● Accommodation: This category includes B&Bs, boutique hotels, guesthouses, and hostels. These businesses provide lodging to tourists and often emphasize personalized service and local culture.
● Food and Beverage: Restaurants, cafes, bars, and street food vendors fall into this category. They offer food and drink to tourists, often highlighting local cuisine and sustainable sourcing.
● Entertainment for Tourists: This category encompasses theatres, concert venues, event organizers, and other entertainment providers. They focus on providing engaging experiences for tourists, often with a cultural or artistic component.
● Tours & Guiding Services: These businesses offer guided tours, adventure experiences, and other tourist activities. They emphasize personalized service, local knowledge, and environmental sustainability.
● Tourist-Specific Mobility Services: This category includes rental services for bicycles, scooters, electric vehicles, and other forms of transportation tailored to tourists. They aim to offer convenient and sustainable mobility options.
● Tourist-Specific Stores: Souvenir shops, craft stores, and other retail businesses catering to tourists fall into this category. They often sell locally made products and highlight regional culture.
Each category has its own set of key activities, customer segments, value propositions, and resources. Understanding these elements is critical for exploring how circular practices can be integrated into each business type.
Practical Application
Practical application in this sub-module involves exploring how circular economy principles can be applied to each category of small businesses in tourism.
Here are some examples:
1. Accommodation: Implementing energy-efficient practices, sourcing local materials for construction, and promoting waste reduction through recycling and composting.
2. Food and Beverage: Using locally sourced ingredients, reducing food waste, and adopting eco-friendly packaging.
3. Entertainment for Tourists: Promoting events that showcase local culture and using recycled materials for props and sets.
4. Tours & Guiding Services: Offering eco-friendly transportation, engaging in community-based tourism, and supporting local conservation efforts.
5. Tourist-Specific Mobility Services: Providing electric or hybrid vehicles, encouraging bicycle use, and supporting local transportation initiatives.
6. Tourist-Specific Stores: Selling sustainable and locally made products, reducing plastic use, and promoting eco-friendly packaging
Project Database linked to points 2, and 5:
- we suggest the Spanish Case n.1 Myrentgo Hotel - mobility service, in particular, project 5 displays the use of energy-efficient mobility devices.
- Also, the Spanish Case n.2 PONT SEC Restaurant takeaway, project 1 preserving Indigenous food, and project 2 optimisation of food.
Circular tourism has given and gives you an opportunity for innovation and to be creative in your business development. The Digital Stories “Dragonfly Gardens”, and “Ecologies” are examples of different but effective ways to implement an accommodation circular business.
● Accommodation: This category includes B&Bs, boutique hotels, guesthouses, and hostels. These businesses provide lodging to tourists and often emphasize personalized service and local culture.
● Food and Beverage: Restaurants, cafes, bars, and street food vendors fall into this category. They offer food and drink to tourists, often highlighting local cuisine and sustainable sourcing.
● Entertainment for Tourists: This category encompasses theatres, concert venues, event organizers, and other entertainment providers. They focus on providing engaging experiences for tourists, often with a cultural or artistic component.
● Tours & Guiding Services: These businesses offer guided tours, adventure experiences, and other tourist activities. They emphasize personalized service, local knowledge, and environmental sustainability.
● Tourist-Specific Mobility Services: This category includes rental services for bicycles, scooters, electric vehicles, and other forms of transportation tailored to tourists. They aim to offer convenient and sustainable mobility options.
● Tourist-Specific Stores: Souvenir shops, craft stores, and other retail businesses catering to tourists fall into this category. They often sell locally made products and highlight regional culture.
Each category has its own set of key activities, customer segments, value propositions, and resources. Understanding these elements is critical for exploring how circular practices can be integrated into each business type.
Practical Application
Practical application in this sub-module involves exploring how circular economy principles can be applied to each category of small businesses in tourism.
Here are some examples:
1. Accommodation: Implementing energy-efficient practices, sourcing local materials for construction, and promoting waste reduction through recycling and composting.
2. Food and Beverage: Using locally sourced ingredients, reducing food waste, and adopting eco-friendly packaging.
3. Entertainment for Tourists: Promoting events that showcase local culture and using recycled materials for props and sets.
4. Tours & Guiding Services: Offering eco-friendly transportation, engaging in community-based tourism, and supporting local conservation efforts.
5. Tourist-Specific Mobility Services: Providing electric or hybrid vehicles, encouraging bicycle use, and supporting local transportation initiatives.
6. Tourist-Specific Stores: Selling sustainable and locally made products, reducing plastic use, and promoting eco-friendly packaging
Project Database linked to points 2, and 5:
- we suggest the Spanish Case n.1 Myrentgo Hotel - mobility service, in particular, project 5 displays the use of energy-efficient mobility devices.
- Also, the Spanish Case n.2 PONT SEC Restaurant takeaway, project 1 preserving Indigenous food, and project 2 optimisation of food.
Circular tourism has given and gives you an opportunity for innovation and to be creative in your business development. The Digital Stories “Dragonfly Gardens”, and “Ecologies” are examples of different but effective ways to implement an accommodation circular business.
Interactive exercises/reflective questions
Exercise: Multiple choice
Exercise: Multiple choice
Exercise: Multiple choice
Further resources: videos and/or useful links
Digital Story: https://youtu.be/6zHiacIEytU?si=LoAfF3-j3_iziVBJ
Digital Story: https://youtu.be/K5ESEVJ_fq0?si=SvNh3NLhFYiHEvdw
C-Tour Database: https://c-tour.eu/en/learning-platform/1/All
Digital Story: https://youtu.be/K5ESEVJ_fq0?si=SvNh3NLhFYiHEvdw
C-Tour Database: https://c-tour.eu/en/learning-platform/1/All
References
"The Circular Economy Handbook" by Peter Lacy, Jessica Long, and Wesley Spindler: This book offers a comprehensive overview of the circular economy and can be applied to various industries, including tourism.
"Sustainable Tourism on a Finite Planet" by Megan Epler Wood: This book emphasizes the environmental and social challenges faced by the tourism sector and discusses how sustainable and circular practices can address them.
"Sustainable Tourism on a Finite Planet" by Megan Epler Wood: This book emphasizes the environmental and social challenges faced by the tourism sector and discusses how sustainable and circular practices can address them.
