Residents' perceptions of tourism development in Benalmádena (Spain)

Abstract

This study examines the residents´ perceptions of the impact of tourism in Benalmádena, and the profiles of the residents according to socio-demographic characteristics. A questionnaire assessed how these characteristics influence the residents' perceptions towards the environment, economy, and socio-cultural aspects. The survey was administered to a stratified sample of 770 residents in Benalmádena. Results show a significant effect of socio-demographic variables on perception of tourism impact. The educational background, place of birth and how long respondents had been living in the community explain a significant amount of the variance in overall attitudes. Interaction analyses revealed that place of birth moderated the relationship between the tourism dimensions and the years of residence. For instance, the respondents with less than five years of residence showed more positive attitude towards the impact of tourism. We offer a profile of these residents according to their perceptions of the impact of tourism in their community.

Rural Destination Development Based on Olive Oil Tourism: The Impact of Residents’ Community Attachment and Quality of Life on Their Support for Tourism Development

“…Research on residents' perceptions of the impacts of tourism development, as well as residents' support for this development, has generated a sizeable volume of literature, especially in more recent years (e.g., [19][20][21][22][23]). Many of these studies have analysed community attachment (e.g., [24,25]) and perceived quality of life (e.g., [17,26,27]) as factors to consider in the relationship between residents' perceptions of and support for tourism development.…”

“…Many of these studies have analysed community attachment (e.g., [24,25]) and perceived quality of life (e.g., [17,26,27]) as factors to consider in the relationship between residents' perceptions of and support for tourism development. Although research on the impacts of tourism as seen by residents has become more important, regional administrators have not developed mechanisms for including residents in tourism planning processes [20]. This still occurs even though the integration of the local population in planning has been shown to be the most effective means to achieve sustainable tourism development [19].…”

Attitudes and Perceptions of the Local Community towards Sustainable Tourism Development in Kurdistan Regional Government, Iraq

“…Understanding the impact of tourism on the local communities is becoming a major topic for researchers, while being the key element in building sustainable and long-term tourism strategies [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Consulting and involving the local community whenever tourism strategies are built, increases their success rate and assures positive effects in important areas: economic, social, cultural, and environmental [7].…”

Conservation Policy-Community Conflicts: A Case Study from Bogda Nature Reserve, China

“…Changes induced by policies can be of different kinds, such as changes in land use patterns, additional requirements for the production of certain goods, or new marketing opportunities for locally produced products [7]. Residents in WHSs mainly experience shifts in livelihood from traditional life to tourism-related activities, restrictions on access to and use of natural resources [8], tourism impacts [9,10], and related limitations that create more complaints [5]. Potential impacts and major issues discerned from community members' perceptions are the key measures to understand these situations.…”