Changes in residents’ attitudes toward community-based tourism through destination development in Gunung Ciremai national park, Indonesia

Abstract

ABSTRACT We analyze changes in residents’ attitudes toward community-based tourism through destination development and its usefulness as a complementary variable for coherent indications of what stage of a life cycle a destination is in, using Gunung Ciremai National Park (GCNP), Indonesia, as a case study. Social exchange theory and prominent tourism area life cycle models were used as the theoretical frameworks. In total, 934 usable questionnaires were obtained from 12 villages adjacent to GCNP. We found that residents’ attitudes were evolving with the development of community-based tourism and its life cycle. Nonlinearity was evident in the relationship between residents’ perceived benefits and their support. The perceived cost of tourism was significant and linearly associated with residents’ support for tourism development. We propose that some destinations in GCNP are undergoing significant changes and are in the early stages of their development. Theoretical and practical implications are proposed.