Adventure tourism micro enterprises (ATMEs) and responding to crisis events: a case study of Ireland's Atlantic Wild Atlantic Way (WAW)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to advance knowledge and understanding of the supply side of adventure tourism along the Wild Atlantic Way (WAW), and the risks associated with operating an adventure tourism micro enterprise (ATME) during periods of crisis and economic uncertainty. The study’s first research objective evaluated the characteristics, composition, and evolution of ATMEs. The second identified and discussed the stakeholders that impact upon the adventure tourism sector. This objective also investigated constraints relating to accessing private and public land for the supply of adventure tourism activities. The study’s third objective evaluated how political events such as Brexit, COVID-19, and the Ukraine-Russia conflict have affected ATMEs. The study’s fourth and final objective, synthesised the findings from the first three objectives to develop a conceptual framework for understanding the environmental (macro, meso, and micro) interactions relevant to ATMEs within a crisis context. This led to the creation of the ‘adventure tourism ecosystem’, which served as the study’s tangible outcome.

Semi-structured interviews with 31 ATMEs and 15 representative stakeholders were conducted online between February and October 2023. An interpretivist research philosophy guided the methodology. The qualitative data underwent thematic analysis and processing using NVivo (v.14), and a research strategy involving multiple case studies was adopted following data analysis.

This study highlights the significant contributions of governmental and non-governmental stakeholders to adventure tourism development, especially during crises, when their action scan have substantial positive or negative impacts on ATMEs. The study’s findings have important implications for policymakers and practitioners in adventure tourism development. While the results suggest adventure tourism remains viable along the WAW, business owners face significant challenges related to economic uncertainty, land access, insurance, and externally induced market disruptions. The findings that emerged should have utility to adventure tourism businesses and representative stakeholders with interests in this sector.

Date of Award	Aug 2025
Original language	English
Supervisor	Stephen Boyd (Supervisor) & Peter Bolan (Supervisor)