Collaborative Policy Making and Stakeholder Engagement: A Resident–Based Perspective

Abstract

This study analyses residents’ perceptions and attitudes towards tourism and community engagement with tourism planning. Overall, residents think that the positive effects of tourism development outweigh the negative impacts. Despite this, they express concerns regarding the economic future of their area and that the tourism development in their area is mostly exogenously driven. Further, they do not feel involved in tourism planning but, quite surprisingly, they do not seems to be convinced that local authorities should encourage community participation in tourism decision making. Exploratory factor analysis and hierarchical and non-hierarchical cluster analysis were therefore conducted. Four clusters were identified: “disenchanted”, “critics”, “opponents” and “activists”. A descriptive profile of each group and the significant differences among groups are provided based on their socio-economic and demographic characteristics. Based on the findings, contributions to the body of knowledge and implications for developers and policy makers are discussed.