Determinants of Residents’ Word-of-Mouth Behaviour and Support for Tourism

José Figueiredo,Maria Francisca Blasco López,Nuria Recuero Virto

doi:10.3390/admsci10030051

José Figueiredo, Maria Francisca Blasco López + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci10030051

Copy DOI

Abstract

This research explores residents’ support for tourism by introducing—for the first time—the variable of residents’ word-of-mouth intention. The tested model proposes that residents’ support for tourism is influenced by residents’ word-of-mouth and tourism benefits; the model also examines the impacts of community attachment and community involvement on the benefits of tourism. The relationship between tourism benefits and residents’ word-of-mouth is the most significant indication of the tested model, followed by the linkage between tourism benefits and support for tourism. Besides this, the positive and significant effect of residents’ word-of-mouth on their support for tourism has been proven. The results stress the need for increased focus on the benefits of tourism by increasing community attachment, as they reveal that more attached residents lead to more positive perceptions of the benefits of tourism, consequently having a higher effect on their word-of-mouth intention and support for tourism.

Highlights

Residents’ influence on visitors’ experiences has been confirmed in several studies (Gursoy et al 2009; Kim et al 2013; Tolkach and King 2015; Wang and Xu 2015), which directly affects sustainable tourism (Blasco López et al 2018)
The target population of this study was residents who lived near the archaeological site of Conimbriga, since these local residents are the most affected by tourism development
The second stage comprised the evaluation of the inner model and the relationships between the constructs specified in the proposed model

Summary

Introduction

Residents’ influence on visitors’ experiences has been confirmed in several studies (Gursoy et al 2009; Kim et al 2013; Tolkach and King 2015; Wang and Xu 2015), which directly affects sustainable tourism (Blasco López et al 2018). The different socio-economic and environmental benefits offered by the tourism industry have been widely studied by many scholars, such as preservation, increased local employment and businesses, and the improvement of the standard of living, among others (Adongo et al 2017; Garrod 2003; Nunkoo and So 2015; Sinclair-Maragh and Gursoy 2015; Tokarchuk et al 2016). These benefits have an effect on daily lives; these influences shape residents’ attitudes (Jaafar et al 2015a; Nicholas et al 2009)

Methods

Results

Conclusion