Tourism networks as a mechanism for degrowth: the case of the Burren Ecotourism Network in Ireland

Authors: Ward, A. and Millar, S.

Journal: Journal of Ecotourism

eISSN: 1747-7638

ISSN: 1472-4049

DOI: 10.1080/14724049.2025.2514500

Abstract:

This exploratory paper examines how a community-based ecotourism network can sustain a destination from an economic, environmental and social perspective while pertaining to a degrowth approach that measures success beyond the traditional economic variables of volume and revenue. It focuses on the Burren Eco-tourism Network (BEN) in the West of Ireland, a region known for its unique landscape and natural heritage. Nine qualitative in-depth interviews were completed using a community-based tourism case study methodology. Evidence of a degrowth mindset was littered throughout the research and this was verified through the voluntary nature surrounding its origins, the equal requirements, training and accountability of being a member, regardless of size or impact in the region, and the immersive methods of interpretation developed to inform and attract a more conscious traveller. Within this degrowth mindset, there is a sense of a business community that connects its members to their regional environment and biodiversity but also to themselves with a bottom-up approach to tourism management in which profits emerge and return to the community. Therefore, the research provides exploratory qualitative weight in determining how a focus on collaborative community development and environment sustainability are placed alongside economic profits aligning with the degrowth theory.

Source: Scopus