Resident Support for Tourism Development in Rural Midwestern (USA) Communities: Perceived Tourism Impacts and Community Quality of Life Perspective

Chia-Pin Yu, Shu Tian Cole and Charles Chancellor
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Chia-Pin Yu: School of Forestry and Resource Conservation, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
Shu Tian Cole: Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
Charles Chancellor: Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 3, 1-17

Abstract: Local residents play an important role in the process of sustainable development in tourism. Resident support for tourism development contributes to the health of tourism industry and successful community development. Therefore, it is in the best interest of local residents, the tourism industry, and tourists, that residents have a positive outlook on and positive experiences with tourism development. In order to understand resident support for tourism development from tourism impacts and community quality of life perspective within the rural communities of Orange County, Indiana, USA, this study has examined a proposed structural model which incorporates eight latent variables: (a) six types of positive and negative tourism impacts serve as exogenous latent variables; (b) tourism-related community quality of life (TCQOL) is proposed as the mediating variable; and (c) resident support for tourism development is the ultimate dependent variable. The results show that both sociocultural and environmental benefits contribute to the host community’s living experience. Economic and sociocultural benefits, negative sociocultural and environmental impacts, and TCQOL influence resident support for tourism development. This study identified specific tourism impacts that affect TCQOL and resident support for local tourism development. This study affirms that community quality of life (QOL) serves an effective predictor of support for tourism development.

Keywords: sustainable tourism development; rural communities; tourism support; perceived tourism impacts; tourism-related community quality of life (TCQOL) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (21)

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