Development of entrepreneurship eco-system for tourism sector in Sultanate of Oman

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to develop an entrepreneurship ecosystem framework for the tourism industry in Oman, in which the entrepreneurship and tourism industries had been identified as the key priorities in the effort towards economic diversification in the 2040 vision. The framework can be used as a baseline for entrepreneurs and their stakeholders to start and sustain their business. Currently, the impact of entrepreneurship is limited and its contribution to the national GDP is relatively insignificant. From review of prior research on entrepreneurial ecosystem, mixed method was employed to develop a framework that can help to support and enable entrepreneurs to seize opportunities in the tourism industry as well as to establish and sustain their business. This research collected data through interview with 20 experts from various institutions who have had experience and knowledge in tourism sector and entrepreneurship which constitute of academics, managers, and entrepreneurs. A survey of 124 entrepreneurs as well as interview with human capital experts at Oman universities were also conducted. The data collected was analysed to evaluate the current ecosystem framework. Content analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data and descriptive analysis for the quantitative data in order to develop the new entrepreneur ecosystem framework. Based on the results of the data analyses, the research was able to identify the main challenges which are funding, support programs, regulations, qualification and training, and innovation. The research also identified eight (8) main areas that define the main pillars of the proposed system, namely, entrepreneurship policies, financing, non-financial support services, human capital, entrepreneurship market, entrepreneurship culture, innovation, and opportunity recognition, supported with the number of programs in each domain and institutions in Oman. This research has therefore proposed the entrepreneurial ecosystem framework and contributed knowledge with regards to entrepreneurship ecosystems.