NONE 20260205093925493 wseas/wseas content-registration-form+ja@crossref.org content-registration-form WSEAS TRANSACTIONS ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT 1790-5079 2224-3496 Fotini Maniou Department of Economics and Sustainable Development, Harokopio University, 70 El. Venizelou str., GR-17676 Athens, GREECE Vasileios Vlassas Department of Accounting and Finance, University of West Attica, Ancient Olive Groves Campus, 250 Thivon str., GR-12242 Egaleo, Athens, GREECE Ioanna Maniou Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Zografou Park Campus, GR 157 84, GREECE Maria Manola Department of Tourism Management, University of West Attica, Egaleo Park Campus, 28 Ag. Spiridonos str., GR-12243 Egaleo, Athens, GREECE Maria Papadomanolaki Department of Graphic Design and Visual Communication, University of West Attica, Ancient Olive Groves Campus, 250 Thivon str., GR-12242 Egaleo, Athens, GREECE Dimitrios Nentas Department of Business Administration, University of West Attica, Ancient Olive Groves Campus, 250 Thivon str., GR-12242 Egaleo, Athens, GREECE Klimis Ntalianis Department of Business Administration, University of West Attica, Ancient Olive Groves Campus, 250 Thivon str., GR-12242 Egaleo, Athens, GREECE This paper explores how literary cafés function as hubs of cultural entrepreneurship, social cohesion, and mental well-being, and how visitors perceive their role in the urban cultural ecosystem. The survey examines the topic in three dimensions: (a) experience and motivation of visit, (b) perceptions of cultural entrepreneurship, and (c) perceived effects on mental well-being and social cohesion. The findings indicate that literary cafés are primarily perceived as cultural centres, with respondents positively evaluating the overall atmosphere, programming of cultural events, and quality of service. Most participants recognise their contribution to the promotion of literature and culture and, to a lesser extent, their entrepreneurial character, while highlighting the importance of digital presence for visibility and audience engagement. Visitors report that participation in literary café activities supports their mental well-being and strengthens social cohesion through active involvement and community-building. 02 05 2026 02 05 2026 126 10 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en_US 10.37394/232015.2026.22.10 https://wseas.com/journals/ead/2026/a205115-002(2026).pdf McComb, S. (2015). Fostering Enlightenment Coffeehouse Culture in the Present (Doctoral dissertation). https://shorturl.at/5zXvs Accessed November 21, 2025. Emınegül Karababa, Gülız Ger, Early Modern Ottoman Coffeehouse Culture and the Formation of the Consumer Subject, Journal of Consumer Research, Volume 37, Issue 5, 1 February 2011, Pages 737–760, https://doi.org/10.1086/656422. Cowan, B. (2004). Mr. Spectator and the coffeehouse public sphere. EighteenthCentury Studies, 37(3), 345–366. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/ecs.2004.0021. Schreiber, F. (2020). When Digital Public Spaces Matter. Role of Neighbourhood Platforms in Times of COVID-19, The Journal of Public Space, 5(3), 121-130. https://doi.org/10.32891/jps.v5i3.1368 Llewellyn Smith, M. (2004). Athens: A cultural and literary history. Signal Books. ISBN 9781902669816. https://shorturl.at/e4Ux3 Accessed Jan. 13, 2026. Freely, J. (2004). Strolling through Athens: Fourteen unforgettable walks through Europe’s oldest city. I. B. Tauris. ISBN 9781850435952. https://shorturl.at/9D9Dn Accessed Jan. 13, 2026. (text in Greek) Papakostas, J. (1988). Philological Cafés and Places of Athens 1880-1930. [Φιλολογικά σαλόνια και καφενεία της Αθήνας (1880-1930)]. Athens: Bookstores of Estia. ISBN: 978-960-1602-93-6. https://shorturl.at/LzcGk Accessed October 10, 2025. Constantine, H., & Barley, J. (Eds.). (2026). Athens tales (City Tales). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780192858269 https://shorturl.at/VKWsW Accessed Jan. 13, 2026. (text in Greek) Lapathiotis, N. (1986). My life: an attempt at a brief autobiography. [Η ζωή μου: Απόπειρα συνοπτικής αυτοβιογραφίας]. Athens: Stigmi. ISBN: 978-960-0439-01-4. https://shorturl.at/3izEP Accessed October 10, 2025. Ahuja, R. & Bhattacharya, B., 2012. The Indian Coffee House: a social history of public consumption in post-colonial India. Available at: https://shorturl.at/EVlnu. Accessed Nov. 20, 2025. Chen, Y. S., & Wu, S. T. (2017). Social networking practices of Viennese coffeehouse culture and intangible heritage tourism. Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change, 17(2), 186–207. https://doi.org/10.1080/14766825.2017.140003 7. Ceramella, N. (2024). World coffee culture: Coffee houses and cafés littéraires – Focus on Italy. Folia Linguistica et Litteraria, (49), 129–154. https://doi.org/10.31902/fll.49.2024.8. Sarno, E. (2013). The recognition of intellectual spaces as a cultural heritage: A territorial perspective. PASOS. Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural, 11(2), 459– 470. https://doi.org/10.25145/j.pasos.2013.11.030. Cleave, P. (2017). Leisurely consumption, the legacy of European cafés. International Review of Social Research, 7(1), 31–45. https://doi.org/10.1515/irsr-2017-0005. Fitch, N. R. (2006). The Grand Literary Cafés of Europe. London: New Holland. ISBN: 978- 184-5371-14-2. Noaime, E., Alalouch, C., Mesloub, A., Hamdoun, H., Gnaba, H., & Alnaim, M. M. (2025). Sustainable cities and urban dynamics: The role of the café culture in transforming the public realm. Ain Shams Engineering Journal. Volume 16, Issue 3. 2025. 103320. ISSN 2090-4479. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2025.103320. Walton, J. F. (2019). Introduction: Textured historicity and the ambivalence of imperial legacies. History and Anthropology, 30(1), 1– 13. https://doi.org/10.1080/02757206.2019.1612387 Steigemann, A. M. (2017). Social practices in a café: Community through consumption? Geographica Helvetica, 72(1), 45–54. https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-72-45-2017. Manola, M., Koltsikoglou, G., & Vouglanis, T. (2024). The literary haunts of Athens and their significance in the cultural heritage of Greece. Sustainable Development, Culture, Traditions, 1(B), 78–84. https://doi.org/10.26341/issn.2241-4002- 2024-1b-6-T02037. Tzanelli, R. (2012). Domesticating the tourist gaze in Thessaloniki’s Prigipos. Ethnography, 13(3), 263–290. https://doi.org/10.1177/1466138111420619. Gospodini, A. (2007). Cultural and leisure clusters in Greek cities: Spontaneous formation and ‘laissez-faire’ development. International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, 2(2), 119–133. https://doi.org/10.2495/SDP-V2-N2-119-133. Gospodini, A. (2001). Urban design, urban space morphology, urban tourism: An emerging new paradigm concerning their relationship. European Planning Studies, 9(7), 925–934. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654310120079841. Lounsbury, M. and Glynn, M.A. (2001), Cultural entrepreneurship: stories, legitimacy, and the acquisition of resources. Strat. Mgmt. J., 22: 545-564. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.188. Klamer, A. (2011). Cultural entrepreneurship. Review of Austrian Economics, 24(2), 141– 157. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11138-011- 0144-6. Scott, M. (2012). Cultural entrepreneurs, cultural entrepreneurship: Music producers mobilising and converting Bourdieu’s alternative capitals. Poetics, 40(3), 237–255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poetic.2012.03.002. Hausmann, A., & Heinze, A. (2016). Entrepreneurship in the cultural and creative industries: Insights from an emergent field. Artivate, 5(2), 7–22. https://doi.org/10.1353/artv.2016.0005. Ferreira, J., Ferreira, C., & Bos, E. (2021). Spaces of consumption, connection, and community: Exploring the role of the coffee shop in urban lives. Geoforum, 119, 21–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2020.12.02 4. Pagkalos, I., Maniou, I., Maniou, F., Mitoula, R. & Manola, M., 2025e. The contribution of literary festivals to mental health and cultural development: A case study of Italy and Spain. Magna Scientia Advanced Research and Reviews, 15(1), pp.121–129. Available at: https://doi.org/10.30574/msarr.2025.15.1.011 8. Fotini Maniou, Roido Mitoula, Vilma Karagianni, Maria Manola, Dimitrios Nentas, Klimis Ntalianis, "A Sustainable Cultural Entrepreneurship of Lesvos: Long-Term Development based on the Island’s Competitive Features," WSEAS Transactions on Business and Economics, vol. 22, pp. 2456-2470, 2025. https://doi.org/10.37394/23207.2025.22.193. Abbasian, S. (2023). Disparate Emotions as Expressions of Well-Being: Impact of Festival Participation from the Participants’ Subjective View. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(1), 329. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010329. Reyes-Martínez J, Martínez-Martínez OA, Lombe M and Piñeros-Leaño M (2023) Exploring the influence of cultural participation on the subjective well-being of victims in Mexico. Front. Psychol. 13:1082216. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1082216. Grossi, Enzo. (2014). Cultural Participation, Relational Goods and Individual Subjective Well-Being: Some Empirical Evidence. Review of Economics & Finance. Article ID: 1923-7529-2014-03-33-14. https://shorturl.at/h1Vwg Accessed November 22, 2025. Yolal, M., Gursoy, D., Uysal, M., Kim, H. L., & Karacaoğlu, S. (2016). Impacts of festivals and events on residents’ well-being. Annals of Tourism Research, 61, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2016.07.008. Çevik, S. (2024). How literary tourism changes the tourists’ “baggage”: a conceptual framework for the educational function of literary tourism. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 24(3), 269–297. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313220.2024.2341614 . Hoppen, A., Brown, L., & Fyall, A. (2014). Literary tourism: Opportunities and challenges for the marketing and branding of destinations? Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 3(1), 37–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2013.12.009. Solakis, K., & Bellos, K. (2023). “Murder in mykonos”: potentials and limitations of crime fiction literary tourism in Greece. Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change, 21(5), 592– 604. https://doi.org/10.1080/14766825.2023.2204064 . Skoultsos, S., Vagena, M. (2025). Perspectives and Potential of Literary Tourism as Part of Cultural Tourism: The Case of Greece. In: Katsoni, V., Costa, C. (eds) Innovation and Creativity in Tourism, Business and Social Sciences. IACuDiT 2024. Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-87019- 4_15. MacLeod, N., Hayes, D., & Slater, A. (2009). Reading the Landscape: The Development of a Typology of Literary Trails that Incorporate an Experiential Design Perspective. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 18(2– 3), 154–172. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368620802590183. Anjo, A. M., Sousa, B., Santos, V., Dias, Á. L., & Valeri, M. (2021). Lisbon as a literary tourism site: Essays of a digital map of Pessoa as a new trigger. Journal of Tourism, Heritage and Services Marketing, 7(2), 58–67. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5550663. Fancourt, D., & Steptoe, A. (2019). Cultural engagement and mental health: Does socioeconomic status explain the association? Social Science & Medicine, 236, 112425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.11242 5. Danchev, S., Gatopoulos, G., Kalavrezou, N., Mavropoulos, A., Pavlou, G., & Vettas, N. (2024). Equally poorer: Inequality and the Greek debt crisis. Fiscal Studies, 45(3), 359– 375. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475- 5890.12384. Nentas, D., & Ntalianis, K. (2025). Food insecurity in Greece: Eurostat trends and evidence from a national soup kitchen survey. In Y. Sert, A. Dağdeviren, & S. Seydoşoğlu (Eds.), Conference proceeding book (abstracts & full texts) of the 11th International Congress on Global Practice of Multidisciplinary Scientific Studies - XI (pp. 1247–1257). Liberty Academic Publishers. https://shorturl.at/Uv0lg Accessed January 5, 2026.