LOCALLY AND SOCIALLY EMBEDDED TOURISM CLUSTERS IN RURAL GREECE

Creating a local identity through clustering of attractions, services and products in a region seems to be the contemporary answer in maintaining economic and social viability. Despite the growing interest in tourism clusters, it is still a field that remains unexplored especially in rural areas which have additional drawbacks to entrepreneurship. In this paper we will focus on the development of tourism clusters within the framework of Community Initiative LEADER+ in rural areas in Greece. Both qualitative and quantitative data from several case studies of clustering in Northern Greece and a survey on 110 cluster members are used to answer our basic research questions. Evidence from our study suggest that those tourism clusters are locally and socially embedded, are driven from different networking norms and levels of trust amongst members and are in need of motivation, encouragement and assistance from local stakeholders.