Tourism impact assessment : a test of a vested interests model

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which residents' expectations and perceptions of tourism impacts are related to their positive or negative dispositions of tourism development. An exploratory field study was conducted to test "A Vested Interests Model". The model is an adaptation of assumptions, propositions, and insights derived from exchange theory. The model outlined theoretical relationships between: (1) vested interests in tourism development and expectations of benefits from tourism development; (2) importance level and expectation level for tourism impacts; (3) expectation level and perception level of tourism impacts; (4) perception level and satisfaction level with tourism development; and (5) satisfaction level and the level of commitment to future tourism development. A sample of residents (n=261) in Brenham, Texas completed a self-administered survey instrument that elicited their vested interests in tourism development in the community, the levels of expectations, importance and perceptions of tourism impacts, and attitudes towards future tourism development. Analysis of this information indicated that a resident who has a higher level of vested interests in tourism development tends to have a higher expectations of benefits for the community from tourism development. It was found that residents' expectations of benefits for the community from tourism development tend to be higher along the impact items which were considered to be important to the community. It is often those aspects of tourism that are considered to be most important to the community that have been overlooked in past studies. It was also identified that specified positive and negative tourism impacts played a key role in enhancing the level of satisfaction with tourism development if they were perceived favorably by residents. Finally, it was found that the more residents are satisfied with and involved in tourism development, the more they commit to future tourism development. In summary, the results of this research indicated that understanding residents' level of vested interests in tourism development and the level of importance attached to tourism impact items provided useful information about explaining and predicting their expectations, perceptions, and attitudes towards tourism development.