Challenges faced by rural/remote tourism businesses on Vancouver Island: an exploratory study

Purpose - This paper seeks to explore the challenges faced by tourism businesses and the methods used by the business owners to respond to these within rural areas of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada and nearby smaller islands. There has been little consideration of both the challenges faced by rural tourism businesses and the methods by which the owners respond to these. Design/methodology/approach - Given this study's exploratory focus, a case study methodology is selected. Using purposeful sampling, owners of five rural tourism businesses on Vancouver Island and nearby islands are interviewed. The topics focus on the challenges that the owners face and their methods of response. Findings - The primary challenges are concentrated in the areas of marketing, operations, and infrastructure. Owners have common responses which include cooperation in marketing efforts among area businesses and long hours invested to overcome operational and infrastructure challenges. The owners accept these challenges as a consequence of their decision to operate in a rural area. Research limitations/implications - The case studies are based in a small geographical location which could limit the findings' generalization to other rural locations. Further research needs to be done to extend the study's reach. Practical implications - These results will be of interest to other rural businesses, governments and support organizations as these groups work together to support economic development in rural areas facing industrial restructuring. Originality/value - This research contributes to the discussion of small tourism business issues in rural areas, a relatively unexplored research area, and supports efforts to support small business creation in relatively disadvantaged rural areas.