Migration and tourism entrepreneurship: north-european immigrants in Cataluña and Languedoc

There is little research on tourism entrepreneurship, especially on foreign entrepreneurs working in tourism. This paper examines new north-European immigration into two Mediterranean regions and identifies the characteristics of north-European entrepreneurs who work in small tourist businesses. Data are examined from 169 questionnaires addressed to small tourism firms and other tourism-related businesses in Cataluña (Spain) and Languedoc (France). The north-European entrepreneurs who run these businesses are examined in the context of new migration flows into southern European regions from the north of the continent. As with the reasons for moving to these southern European regions, company formation and the style of running the businesses are found to be motivated less by the need for work than by lifestyle considerations. The results suggest that international migration theory offers little to explain these new migration inflows. They must be seen as an issue of consumption, instead of one of work and the provision of services.