From fishing and factories to cultural tourism: The role of social entrepreneurs in the construction of a new institutional field

Starting from the premise that cultural tourism is a new institutional field, this paper explores the construction of cultural tourism in regional Ireland. This paper proposes an institutional framework which consists of three main drivers of change: ‘government policy’, ‘resource-mobilization opportunities’ and ‘social entrepreneurship’. It is argued that the development of cultural tourism was made possible by the unique networks of relationships and associations that underpin music, festival and language fields. This study is situated in the literature on neo-institutional theory, and it draws on a model of change [Seo, M., and Creed-Douglas, W. 2002. Institutional contradictions, praxis and institutional change: A dialectical perspective. Academy of Management Review 27, no. 2: 222–47.] to explore how cultural tourism was shaped by powerful historical, political and cultural forces over time.