How would forced migration influence tourism entrepreneurship in the future? Insights from Ireland, Türkiye and Ukraine

Drawing on academic literature, policy papers, and primary interview and focus group data from qualitative research conducted in Ireland, Türkiye, and Ukraine, this paper analyses the potential for tourism entrepreneurship among the refugee populations hosted in these countries. This has become a crucial issue in recent years, due to (1) the scale of the refugee crises in Europe, (2) the intersection of the European refugee crises with the tourism industry, (3) the need for integration of refugees into host populations both economically and socially and (4) the need for diversification in the tourism industry. The research found that despite the myriad challenges faced by refugees with starting a tourism business, this unique and often marginalised population can bring many hard and soft skills to the tourism industry, including, but not limited to languages, resilience, creativity and adaptation. To access the valuable human talent and skills available among refugees, governments and the industry need to take steps to reduce visible and invisible barriers to tourism entrepreneurship by refugees.