Resident attitudes toward tourism as a form of community development

Abstract

Many view tourism as a tool for community development. However, empirical studies suggest that its growth can bring environmental, sociocultural, and economic changes to the community where it is developed. Thus, it is important that planners look at the attitudes of local people towards tourism development in their community. The main objective of this study was to examine residents' attitudes toward change and the potential influence of tourism development in Bryan/College Station, Texas, based on growth level of the neighborhood of residence and levels of community attachment. Specifically, this study sought answers for the questions of 1) what the community attachment level of the B/CS residents is, 2) what their attitudes towards change, tourism development and its potential impacts are, 3) what the relationships among these variables are, and as a result, 4) whether they support specific tourism development options, and finally what implications may exist given their attitudes. A survey instrument was developed to measure residents' attitudes toward perceived change, potential tourism induced changes and tourism development, and types of tourism development options preferred by the residents. The respondents consisted of 207 residents from neighborhoods of Bryan/College Station, Texas. The results suggested that growth level of the neighborhoods did not emerge as a predictor variable in any of the dependent variables, while community attachment level did explain their attitudes toward tourism. In addition, there was a significant relationship between residents' attitudes toward potential tourism induced changes and its future development. Given these results, it was concluded that residents' community attachment level and their attitudes toward potential tourism induced changes are significant factors in predicting their attitudes toward future tourism development. In addition, further analysis of tourism development options and respondents' comments suggested that Bryan/College Station residents preferred tourism related developments in their community, and were especially interested in historic, educational and undeveloped nature types of developments.