Resident support of community-based tourism development: Evidence from Gunung Ciremai National Park, Indonesia

Abstract

While many studies have examined community-based tourism (CBT) in the national parks of developing countries, studies that focused on residents’ mechanism of cost and benefit perception for tourism development support are rare. To understand mechanism of resident support of CBT developments in the early stage, an extended social exchange theory (SET) was used to examine the relationships among the following latent variables of support of tourism development: community involvement, community attachment, perceived benefits, and perceived costs in 12 villages adjacent to Gunung Ciremai National Park (GCNP), Indonesia. In total, 934 usable questionnaires were collected. CBT provides residents access to and benefits from the GCNP area. Perceived economic benefits and community involvement exerted the greatest influence on resident support of tourism development. Perceived benefits and costs were significant mediators of the relationship between community attachment and involvement in, and support of, tourism development. These findings confirm the interrelationships among determinant variables that explain resident support of tourism development based on SET, albeit with different mechanisms, effects, and values. The findings also imply that park managers should focus on not only allocation of the benefits of tourism among local residents but also minimizing the level of disturbance of the communities surrounding GCNP.