Correspondence: Abel Duarte Alonso, School of Marketing Tourism and Leisure, Edith Cowan University, 100 Joondalup Drive, Building 2, Joondalup Western Australia 6027, Australia. E-mail: a.alonso@ecu.edu.au

¹is a PhD, Lecturer in Hospitality Management, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia. His research interests include business-related areas of concern of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), urban (for example, hospitality) and rural (for example, wineries), as well as wine consumer's and winery visitor's behaviour.

Received 21 August 2009; Revised 21 August 2009; Published online 21 September 2009.

Abstract

Numerous business studies discuss the importance of networks, strategic alliances and collaborative relationships for businesses. Despite such rich body of knowledge, however, such discussion appears to have fallen short of including small hospitality operations. In fact, hospitality industry studies exploring these dimensions are few and far between. Seeking to gather information and contribute to the limited body of knowledge in these areas, this study uses semi-structured interviews among 21 small accomodation operations around the city of Perth (Western Australia), including self-contained, bed and breakfast and farm-stay businesses. The overall tone of respondents' comments emphasises the critical value of collaborative relationships in ways that include referral of business and mutually beneficial exchanges with other local businesses. Furthermore, respondents' comments suggest that working collaboratively stimulates the growth of commercial opportunities among participating operations. Equally important is that some operators are able to design long-term strategies that might positively impact their community. For example, strong collaborative relationships can potentially enhance a destination's image with further implications for the area's promotion and marketability, while providing a positive experience for visitors.