Gateway community resident perceptions of tourism development: IncorporatingImportance Performance Analysis into a Limit of Acceptable Change framework

BY ( ERIC FRAUMAN AND SARAH BANKS).

Presented By Ibrahim Zubairu Abubakar

Auwalu Sani Yahaya

Outlines

Purpose of the studyMain ideas Methodology Findings Conclusion Recommendations

Purpose of the Study

The primary purpose of this study was to examine resident perceptions of community and tourism development in a gateway area.

Look at the relationship between the importance of various attributes and features.

Perceptions of the current conditions of the attributes and features across four types of residents via the incorporation of a modified Importance Performance Analysis (IPA).

Perception

Perceptions

Perceptions of specific impacts due to tourism development have been shown to influence attitudes toward the industry and its purveyors, in tourism both positive and negative community impacts resulting from tourism development and are divided into three (3) categories for study and assessment as follows:

EconomicSocio-culturalEnvironmental

“Understanding and addressing these issues will foster positive local support for tourism development”. (Hardy et al, 2001, as cited by Frauman and Sarah, 2010 p: 129).

Influence and perceptions of tourism impact

Attitude varied due to distance from the tourism centre, in the area where tourism spread at a lower ratio of tourist, tourism is viewed as being under local control and so generally is supported, whereas the opposite generates negative perceptions.

Rate and concentration of development can have a greater influence on perception of impact. E.g. Butler, stated that, as tourism grows residents develop a sign of increase in hostility and also residents with more exposure to tourists tend to regard such interaction as positive.

Residents’ segmentation approach

• Segmenting residents into a stakeholder group based on how they are affected by tourism development and searching their various perspectives and interest has been widely investigated.

• For better understanding the way community members view certain tourism related impacts, it is necessary to study the perception of different members in relation to the changes taking place in their areas.

• Some believe that tourism industry enhance their overall quality of their lives; and so should continue to grow while others viewed as disturbing.

Cont’d

Business owners' concern about the balance of power and issues associated with opportunities for development.

Environmental groups or long-term residents are much more interested in quality of life values and protection of natural resources.

Some researchers suggest that accountability and better understanding of tourism are required at an early stage of the planning process in order to have resident groups' support development proposals.

 

Limits of acceptable change (LAC)

Cont’d

Residents with high expectation of tourism development could lose feelings of support when the expectation for economic development are not met and perceived that socio cultural and environmental impacts exceed anticipated level.

Type of impact that connect with the industry and areas hence higher benefit result in higher tolerance and fewer result in lower tolerance.

While community residents that already dependent on tourism are still able to differentiate between economic benefits and social costs such negative consequences does not lead to opposition (King et al, 1993, as cited by Frauman and Sarah, 2010 p: 129).

Therefore, education to increase the knowledge of the benefit has been demonstrated to help improve overall support.

Design/methodology/approachStudy site

Blue Ridge Parkway

Blue Ridge Parkway

Boone

Cont’d

IPA was used to chart residents typesData collection consisted of a 3-page survey instrument

with a pre-paid return envelope mailed to 1200 randomly selected addresses provided by the county tax assessment office in 2006.

Additionally, 60 surveys with a pre-paid return envelope were hand delivered to tourist-focused businesses in the county in early 2007 to provide another distinct resident type for the study.

The survey consisted 2 parts, 4 demographic and 34 items.Respondents were asked to evaluates utilizing Likert-scale.

Cont’d

A financial incentive was included to encourage participation with follow-up postcards mailed to non-respondents a couple weeks after the first mailing.

Attempts were made to address a broad range of businesses – motels, art galleries, amusement areas, restaurants – thus, representing a purposive sample.

Overall, 270 surveys were returned for a response rate of 21.4%.

The data were analyses using Microsoft’s Excel and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 14).

 

Examined attribute categories

Importance performance analysis grid

The general findings from this study revealed that, the natural environment makes the county special.

Not only is the natural environment considered important, there is real concern about the status of its current condition.

With the exception of a few items (e.g., amount of local tax) no other socio-cultural or economic attributes and

features were perceived the same in importance and concern for current condition as the environmental items.

Whether it is concern about the amount of uncontrolled development, amount of open space, or simply the quality of the natural environment in general, respondents in this study value the environment.

Findings

Conclusion

The natural environment was the main attribute that makes the area special.

Drives the county’s economyContributes to the quality of life of

both permanent and non permanent residents.

 

Recommendations

Decision makers should utilize resident's perspectives to enable appropriates community based tourism planning.

This study will help to identify initial areas of concern where too much change has occurred or is likely to occur and therefore needs to be monitored

This study will provide decision makers with a tool to chart stakeholder groups visually understand the similarities and differences they may have with other stakeholders.