The role of children in tourism and hospitality family entrepreneurship

Abstract

This paper reports on a systematic scoping review of peer-reviewed academic literature in the areas of tourism and hospitality family entrepreneurship. Specifically, it explored how and to what extent existing literature paid attention to the roles of children and how children are constructed, including whether their voices and lived experiences are reflected in the studies. The Extension for Scoping Reviews’ approach (PRISMA-ScR) was used to identify appropriate articles included in the review. Findings suggest there is limited research focused, specifically, on the role of children in tourism and hospitality family entrepreneurship. Children are often referred to, in passing, as family helpers, beneficiaries of inheritance, and as recipients of intergenerational knowledge and entrepreneurial skills. The original contribution of this paper lies in highlighting the dearth of research focused on children’s roles, as economic and social actors, in tourism and hospitality, as well as proposing a child-inclusive approach to conceptualising tourism/hospitality family entrepreneurship. This is part of a broader social justice agenda, which is critical in tourism and hospitality research, policy, and planning to privilege children’s rights, their participation, and wellbeing.