Social entrepreneurship in tourism: RepLab employees Magdalena Gaete and Olga Dymarskaya presented the topic at a key industry event in Moscow

In Moscow, as part of the business program of the annual International Tourism Forum and Exhibition “Otdykh,” an event dedicated to social entrepreneurship in tourism was held for the first time.

Participants in the business session noted that Russia has enormous potential for developing social entrepreneurship. Tourism is one of the most significant areas for the development of social entrepreneurship worldwide.

The moderator of the business session, RepLab senior researcher Olga Dymarska, drew the attention of the event participants to the fact that social entrepreneurship in Russia has only been around for two decades. Since 2019, this activity has been enshrined in law and supported at both the federal and regional levels.

The speakers discussed how social values are becoming a significant aspect of the tourism business in the modern world. The current opportunities for social entrepreneurship in the field of tourism and recreation, combining universal values and local characteristics, were demonstrated. Current areas of social entrepreneurship were presented, including historical, rural, eco-, ethno-, and gastronomic tourism, among others, as well as the experiences of friendly countries.

In her speech, RepLab Director Magdalena Gaete paid special attention to the connection between research and practice in social entrepreneurship in the field of tourism, using the example of cooperation between Russia and Malaysia within the framework of the Laboratory for Social Entrepreneurship. In particular, she discussed case studies and best practices for implementing socially significant projects in countries with rapidly developing economies. Other areas of work and cooperation include studying common and local barriers, looking for ways to overcome them, discussing issues of general interest in the expert community, organizing platforms to expand public discussion of the topic, increasing interest and awareness, engaging stakeholders in dialogue (NGOs, government agencies, large businesses), training social entrepreneurs and those who want to become social entrepreneurs, as well as implementing complex projects - from conception to launch.