Entrepreneurship, Sustainable Ecotourism, and Local Development: A David Hume Perspective on the Malaysian Experience and Taghit, Algeria

Abstract

This study examines the role of entrepreneurship in fostering sustainable ecotourism and its contribution to local development through a systematic comparative analysis of the Malaysian experience and Taghit, Algeria. It adopts a Humean interpretive perspective, drawing on David Hume’s ideas on commerce, labor, social conventions, property, and the relationship between individual economic activity and collective interests. Malaysia provides a relevant comparative experience due to its efforts to integrate ecotourism, environmental conservation, entrepreneurship, and local development within broader tourism development strategies. In contrast, Algeria, despite possessing substantial natural, cultural, and ecological resources, continues to face institutional, entrepreneurial, infrastructural, and policy-related constraints that limit the effective development of its ecotourism potential. Particular attention is given to Taghit as a case for examining the challenges and opportunities associated with ecotourism entrepreneurship in Algeria.

The analysis highlights the importance of strengthening entrepreneurial capacities, improving institutional coordination, encouraging local participation, and establishing supportive policy and investment frameworks. From a Humean perspective, the study emphasizes that sustainable local development depends not only on individual economic initiative and commercial activity but also on social cooperation, stable rules, and the alignment of private and collective interests. The study concludes by identifying transferable lessons from the Malaysian experience while emphasizing the need to adapt them to Algeria’s specific socioeconomic, institutional, cultural, and environmental context. Such an approach could contribute to more inclusive local development while strengthening the environmental sustainability of ecotourism in Algeria.