Navigating Adversity: Exploring Entrepreneurial Resilience in Small-Scale Homestays

This research examines the challenges faced by small-scale homestay entrepreneurs and evaluates the mechanisms through which homestays respond to crises. We employed an exploratory qualitative research design, conducting semi-structured interviews with 16 local homestay entrepreneurs and conducting media analysis on homestay entrepreneurship in Shandong Province, China. The findings indicated that homestay business owners demonstrated entrepreneurial resilience and employed various strategies to respond to crises, including flexibility, marketing innovation, and exploring local markets during challenging times. The findings have implications for the growing literature on entrepreneurial resilience by adding new insights into responses to crises. The study also contributes to practice by advocating for the proactive application of product and marketing innovation and establishing reserves of self-owned assets to enhance resilience and recovery capabilities.