Relational Work in Rural Tourism Enterprising: Navigating In-between the Formal and the Informal

Small-scale tourism enterprises are central actors in the rural labour market as facilitators of job opportunities, sustained business relationships, collaborations, and the development of resilient work relationships. These enterprises navigate in a market characterised by social and economic complexity where work is performed by a diverse workforce. The relational work performed in such enterprises contributes to many of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). In this chapter, SDG 8 “Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all” is considered. The chapter addresses how the resilience of work relationships is performed in practice, and how it can be analysed, presenting a theoretical framework for understanding rural tourism work. Drawing on the notion of “relational work” from economic sociology, the chapter offers a conceptual discussion aimed at developing a toolbox to analyse the boundary work between various types of relationships in the tourism labour market: formal and informal, professional and personal, as well as marketised and non-marketised work relationships. This toolbox captures important nuances in the labour market which are often overlooked. By studying these relationships, important learning leads to a better understanding of small-scale tourism enterprises and their role in rural tourism.