Antecedents and Outcomes of Resident Empowerment through Tourism

Abstract

Even though empowerment is a frequently mentioned keyword in resident attitude studies, the relationship network of this concept is rather vague. It is critical to understand the factors that influence empowerment, and factors that empowerment influences in return. Therefore, the current study modeled residents’ data from the top tourism destination in the United States—Orlando, Florida. Data from 415 residents were analyzed using partial least squares–structural equation modeling on SmartPLS to test the effects of residents’ involvement and economic benefits from tourism on their psychological, social and political empowerment, and thus the quality of life, and ultimately, place attachment. Findings revealed that psychological empowerment is the most significant dimension of resident empowerment influencing both place dependence and place identity, suggesting that residents hold special values for their place. Managerial and theoretical implications, along with limitations (in light of the project occurring pre-COVID-19) and future research opportunities are discussed.