Abstract
This study used the Mtubatuba Local Municipality in South Africa as a case to explore the internal factors (such as entrepreneur profiles) that may be used to develop and statistically test a theoretical model of entrepreneurial success in the tourism industry. To test its hypotheses, the study used a sample of 350 tourism-related business owners who were surveyed in several study-area regions. The data integrity was addressed in the first phase of the analyses using IBM SPSS software version 28, and the measurement and structural model were tested in the second phase using the partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) method in SmartPLS software version 4.0.8. The study found significant relationships between human capital theory and business success in tourism entrepreneurship. The results suggest that internal business environmental factors such as entrepreneurs’ profile (e.g., gender, age, level of education), entrepreneurs’ type of business, and entrepreneurial attributes have significant influence on tourism business success. Recommendations were made to relevant stakeholders based on study results.