Exploring The Wellbeing of Tourism Entrepreneurs in Nigeria.

Abstract

Wellbeing (subjective and objective) is essential for all of us, with wellbeing at work being one significant area. Accordingly, investigating its relationship with tourism entrepreneurs and business growth is critical because tourism is one of the top labour-intensive industries capable of creating employment through entrepreneurship. Nigeria has considered tourism as one of the industries to diversify the economy. This research examines the relationship (positive or negative) between wellbeing and tourism entrepreneurs and how it affects their business growth. Wellbeing at work has implications for tourism business growth, and being an entrepreneur creates a particular set of challenges and benefits. This research investigated the gaps in the existing literature and critically analyses the relationship between wellbeing, tourism, and entrepreneurship. Tourism as a sector is affected by external factors, including, in the case of Nigeria, a lack of government support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The research discusses the tourism situation in Nigeria, highlighting interventions, aid, COVID-19, loans, and policies, justifying the importance of tourism entrepreneurs’ wellbeing in Nigeria. This research takes a qualitative approach to explore the wellbeing of tourism entrepreneurs in Nigeria. Employing the interpretivist epistemology, the research prioritises the perceptions and understanding of participants. Vignettes were used for data collection and the data was analysed using the Braun and Clark thematic analysis (Braun et al., 2017) which identified themes, such as position of tourism, tourism entrepreneurs’ perception and understanding of wellbeing, relevance of wellbeing to tourism business growth, the impact of external factors (challenges) on their business growth and development and impacts of wellbeing on a tourism entrepreneur. It highlighted the key Nigerian entrepreneurial traits (resilient, passionate and profit-oriented) and the relationship to the wellbeing of the tourism entrepreneur. Findings show a high level of business-oriented (profit-oriented) entrepreneurs over lifestyle-oriented (pleasure, passion, or fulfilment) entrepreneurs, highlighting the difference in cultural factors in different geographical regions and economic situations. Wellbeing can be defined from eudemonic and hedonic perspectives. This research suggests that the eudemonic perspective, such as spirituality and peace of mind, is stronger than the hedonic perspective in Nigerian entrepreneurs. By integrating factors of spirituality and peace of mind these entrepreneurs not only elevate their personal fulfilment but also experience enhanced levels of overall life satisfaction, resilience, and wellbeing. This observation challenges conventional assumptions regarding the assertiveness and resilience typically associated with entrepreneurial endeavours, suggesting instead an appreciation for the importance of eudemonic pursuits in fostering holistic success and fulfilment.