Factors Influencing Residents’ Perceptions Toward Tourism Development: Testing the Differences Across Rural and Urban Destinations

Journal of Travel Research, 56(6), 760–775, July 2017, DOI: 10.1177/0047287516662354

42 Pages Posted: 21 Jun 2018 Last revised: 22 Sep 2018

See all articles by S. Mostafa Rasoolimanesh

S. Mostafa Rasoolimanesh

Taylor's University - Centre for Research and Innovation in Tourism (CRiT); Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) - School of Housing, Building and Planning

José L. Roldán

University of Seville

Mastura Jaafar

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) - School of Housing, Building and Planning

T. Ramayah

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) - School of Management

Date Written: 2017

Abstract

This article compares the effects of factors influencing residents’ perceptions toward tourism development in urban and rural World Heritage Sites (WHSs). This study has been conducted in the rural Lenggong and urban George Town WHSs in Malaysia. Partial least squares–structural equation modeling, using a number of recently developed advanced analysis methods, has been used to assess the proposed measurement and structural models, and to compare the relationships between the two groups. The results of this study reveal significant differences between the effects of economic gain and community involvement on residents’ perceptions in rural and urban contexts. However, the findings do not support differences between the effects of community attachment and environmental attitudes on residents’ perceptions. This study makes a significant theoretical contribution by comparing rural and urban WHS residents in the developing world. Furthermore, this study has a number of practical implications for the local authorities.

Keywords: residents’ perceptions, rural tourism, urban tourism, World Heritage Site (WHS), multigroup analysis, partial least squares– structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM)

Suggested Citation

Rasoolimanesh, S. Mostafa and Roldán, José L. and Jaafar, Mastura and Ramayah, T., Factors Influencing Residents’ Perceptions Toward Tourism Development: Testing the Differences Across Rural and Urban Destinations (2017). Journal of Travel Research, 56(6), 760–775, July 2017, DOI: 10.1177/0047287516662354, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3191942

S. Mostafa Rasoolimanesh (Contact Author)

Taylor's University - Centre for Research and Innovation in Tourism (CRiT) ( email )

Subang Jaya
Malaysia

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) - School of Housing, Building and Planning ( email )

No.1
Jalan Taylor's
Subang Jaya, Selangor 47500
Malaysia

José L. Roldán

University of Seville ( email )

Departamento de Administración de Empresas y Marke
Av. Ramón y Cajal, 1
Sevilla, Sevilla 41018
Spain

HOME PAGE: http://personal.us.es/jlroldan

Mastura Jaafar

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) - School of Housing, Building and Planning ( email )

Minden, Penang 11800
Malaysia

T. Ramayah

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) - School of Management ( email )

Minden, Penang
Malaysia

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