Organiser:

Jan Rath
University of Amsterdam, Netherlands

The workshop will examine manifestations of cultural diversity by immigrants and deal with the question of how and under what conditions these manifestations can be transformed into a vehicle for socio-economic development. The primary focus of the workshop is on the role of immigrant entrepreneurs in the emerging tourist industry as well as on their interaction with other players of the urban tourism industry, especially local governments.

Presentations:

Jock Collins, Sydney University of Technology, Australia
Ethnic precinct tourism in Sydney and Melbourne

This presentation explores the concept of ethnic precinct tourism using Sydney and Melbourne as examples. Issues covered: the importance of ethnic entrepreneurship is the emergence of ethnic precincts; the role of state and local governments in shaping and marketing ethnic precincts; and the contradictions of ethnic precinct tourism.

Daniel Hiebert and Min-Jung Kwak, University of British Columbia, Canada
Hidden transnational economies of travel and tourism

In this paper we explore the emerging complex economies of travel between Korea and Vancouver, Canada. We highlight the intersection of three processes: permanent immigration; the temporary migration of students; and tourism. All three are facilitated by a new generation of immigrant entrepreneurs that have transnational connections between Korea and Canada.

David McEvoy, Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom
The evolution of Manchester's 'Curry Mile'. From suburban shopping street to ethnic destination

Between 1960 and 1990 the suburban shopping street of Rusholme, Manchester, evolved into a specialized strip of 'Indian' restaurants, run by the Pakistani community. It serves both the general urban population and 'South Asians' from a wider region. Local economic development strategies promote this 'Curry Mile' as a tourist experience. The potential of Rusholme as a policy model for other localities is assessed.

Margarida Marques and Catarina Oliveira, SociNova, Portugal
Building a market of ethnic references. Entrepreneurial opportunities in local contexts

Immigrant entrepreneurs who invest in tourist activities manipulating ethnic connotations can be considered as economic agents as well as innovators. How is the passage done, from the opportunity to the building of a market? To answer this question, one has to consider the offer and the demand, but also, no less important, the institutional environment.

Ching Lin Pang, Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism, Belgium
The Chinese Enigma. A vibrant ethnic precinct run by "invisible" Chinese

"Chinatown" in Antwerp is thriving. As an ethnic minority the Chinese remain marginal. The question is how the Chinese can maintain this position as their 'success' is dependent on a cluster of actors and external factors including the local government policy towards immigrant entrepreneurship, food trends in the mainstream market, etc.

Surrendre Santokhi, City of The Hague, Netherlands
The impact of multi-cultural events on immigrant businesses

The presence of large numbers of immigrants in the Netherlands has resulted in various major cultural events. These events-in principle-foster new businesses and offer opportunities to existing ones. This development challenges the view advanced by some social scientists and economists that 'ethnic entrepreneurship' does not exist and that ethnic entrepreneurs are no more than regular entrepreneurs operating on regular markets.

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