The Impact of Motivation, Opportunity, Financial Ability, and Willingness on Resident Support for Tourism Development

Abstract

ABSTRACT Prior studies in the field of tourism have predominantly concentrated on assessing awareness and knowledge as indicators of ability, often overlooking the significance of financial ability. However, financial ability stands as a pivotal determinant of behavioral intention to support and derive benefits from tourism. This study extends the Motivation-Opportunity-Ability model and measures the effect of residents’ willingness to participate, ability, motivation, and opportunity on their attitude vis-à-vis tourism development and support via a framework developed based on the MOA. We surveyed 333 residents in Pahang and Sabah, Malaysia, using PLS-SEM to analyze our model. The findings indicated that financial ability is a strong predictor of willingness to engage in tourism development. Results show that residents' willingness was a highly significant variable in determining their attitudes towards supporting the development of tourism. Providing financial assistance both prior to and during the development of tourism can enhance community engagement.