Homeowner attitudes toward tourism in a mountain resort community

Abstract

Numerous studies have been conducted on local resident attitudes regarding tourism development and its impact, but there is limited research that compares the attitudes of both local full-time residents and second home property owners. This study investigated factors that influence the extent of each group of property owners’ support for future tourism development in an amenity-rich mountain county in North Carolina. A total of 609 respondents (354 full-time residents and 264 second home owners) expressed their level of support for tourism development and provided their perceptions of tourism impacts. Personal benefits from tourism and tourism's positive impacts influenced both full-time residents’ and second home property owners’ support for future tourism. Tourism's negative impacts also influenced second home property owners’ support for tourism. This study was conducted within the context of (1) promoting sustainable tourism planning which emphasizes analyzing and balancing the varied identities and perspectives of stakeholders within tourist destinations and (2) advancing social exchange theory which emphasizes understanding the complex relationship between people's personal gain from tourism and their support for further tourism development.