Exploring Residents’ Perceptions towards Tourism Development—A Case Study of the Adjara Mountain Area

Tourism development involves both positive and negative impacts on economic, social and natural environments, which represent essential pillars for sustainable development. It is in this context that the present research was conducted in the Adjara Mountain area of Georgia aiming to identify residents’ perception towards tourism development. An online survey was conducted among 620 residents. The data collected were analyzed by descriptive statistics and principal component analysis. As such, the results of the principal component analysis led to a two-factor solution: “positive effects” and “negative effects”. Older and more educated respondents perceived the impacts of tourism development more positively compared to the younger group and to the less educated one. A statistically significant difference was found between females and males regarding their perception of the positive impacts of tourism development. The study represents a first step in investigating the residents’ perception towards tourism development in the Adjara Mountain region, and the results could constitute a starting point for future tourism strategies in the area.

[1]  Haihong Wang,et al.  Exploring the Relationship between Perceived Community Support and Psychological Well-Being of Tourist Destinations Residents , 2022, International journal of environmental research and public health.

[2]  Qadar Bakhsh Baloch,et al.  Impact of tourism development upon environmental sustainability: a suggested framework for sustainable ecotourism , 2022, Environmental Science and Pollution Research.

[3]  Patiphol Yodsurang,et al.  Community-based tourism and heritage consumption in Thailand: An upside-down classification based on heritage consumption , 2022, Cogent Social Sciences.

[4]  Haitao Ma,et al.  Transformation of Rural Space under the Impact of Tourism: The Case of Xiamen, China , 2022, Land.

[5]  A. Morrison Editorial: Land Issues and Their Impact on Tourism Development , 2022, Land.

[6]  Thowayeb H. Hassan,et al.  Impact of Rural Tourism Development on Residents’ Satisfaction with the Local Environment, Socio-Economy and Quality of Life in Al-Ahsa Region, Saudi Arabia , 2022, International journal of environmental research and public health.

[7]  C. Rujescu,et al.  Sustainable Tourism Development in the Protected Areas of Maramureș, Romania: Destinations with High Authenticity , 2022, Sustainability.

[8]  A. Ravikumar,et al.  Community Perception and Attitude towards Sustainable Tourism and Environmental Protection Measures: An Exploratory Study in Muscat, Oman , 2022, Economies.

[9]  Sadruddin Bahadur Qutoshi,et al.  Residents’ Perception of Impact of Mass Tourism on Mountain Environment in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan , 2022, International Journal of Economic and Environmental Geology.

[10]  M. Żemła,et al.  Influence of the Residents’ Perception of Overtourism on the Selection of Innovative Anti-Overtourism Solutions , 2021, Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity.

[11]  F. Arion,et al.  Exploring Residents’ Perceptions of the Socio-Cultural Benefits of Tourism Development in the Mountain Area , 2021, Societies.

[12]  Petr Scholz,et al.  Attitudes of Local Population Towards the Impacts of Tourism Development: Evidence From Czechia , 2021, Frontiers in Psychology.

[13]  T. Mihalič,et al.  Can overtourism be managed? Destination management factors affecting residents’ irritation and quality of life , 2021 .

[14]  Francisco Cebrián Abellán,et al.  Landscape and Tourism as Tools for Local Development in Mid-Mountain Rural Areas in the Southeast of Spain (Castilla-La Mancha) , 2021 .

[15]  Chi-Ming Hsieh,et al.  Evaluating Forest Visitors’ Place Attachment, Recreational Activities, and Travel Intentions under Different Climate Scenarios , 2021 .

[16]  N. Backhaus,et al.  Is Tourism the Beginning or the End? Livelihoods of Georgian Mountain People at Stake , 2020, Mountain Research and Development.

[17]  S. Wassie Natural resource degradation tendencies in Ethiopia: a review , 2020, Environmental Systems Research.

[18]  D. Štreimikienė,et al.  Sustainable tourism development and competitiveness: The systematic literature review , 2020, Sustainable Development.

[19]  D. Milošević,et al.  Residents’ perceptions of and satisfaction with tourism development: A case study of the Uvac Special Nature Reserve, Serbia , 2020 .

[20]  Yu-Chih Lo,et al.  Resident’s Perspective on Developing Community-Based Tourism – A Qualitative Study of Muen Ngoen Kong Community, Chiang Mai, Thailand , 2020, Frontiers in Psychology.

[21]  S. Numata,et al.  Resident support of community-based tourism development: Evidence from Gunung Ciremai National Park, Indonesia , 2020, Journal of Sustainable Tourism.

[22]  Quocviet Bui,et al.  The impact of tourism and natural resources on the ecological footprint: a case study of ASEAN countries , 2020, Environmental Science and Pollution Research.

[23]  Asif Khan,et al.  Tourism and Development in Developing Economies: A Policy Implication Perspective , 2020, Sustainability.

[24]  Ivana Penjišević,et al.  Tourism as a Factor of Regional Development: Community Perceptions and Potential Bank Support in the Kopaonik National Park (Serbia) , 2019, Sustainability.

[25]  Ove Oklevik,et al.  Tourism Investment Gaps in Poland , 2019, Sustainability.

[26]  A. Wondirad,et al.  Community participation in tourism development as a tool to foster sustainable land and resource use practices in a national park milieu , 2019, Land Use Policy.

[27]  Fernando López,et al.  Unemployment and Growth in the Tourism Sector in Mexico: Revisiting the Growth-Rate Version of Okun’s Law , 2019, Economies.

[28]  Ivan Kožić Can tourism development induce deterioration of human capital? , 2019, Annals of Tourism Research.

[29]  F. Arion,et al.  Residents’ Perception of Destination Quality: Key Factors for Sustainable Rural Development , 2019, Sustainability.

[30]  G. Wall,et al.  Livelihood sustainability in a rural tourism destination - Hetu Town, Anhui Province, China , 2019, Tourism Management.

[31]  L. Masiero,et al.  Fostering tourism destination competitiveness in developing countries: The role of sustainability , 2019, Journal of Cleaner Production.

[32]  Andreas Muhar,et al.  Rural Tourism in Georgia in Transition: Challenges for Regional Sustainability , 2019, Sustainability.

[33]  Israel R. Blackie The impact of wildlife hunting prohibition on the rural livelihoods of local communities in Ngamiland and Chobe District Areas, Botswana , 2019, Cogent Social Sciences.

[34]  Jose Antonio C. Santos,et al.  Sustainability as a key driver to address challenges , 2018, Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes.

[35]  D. Gursoy,et al.  Residents’ impact perceptions of and attitudes towards tourism development: a meta-analysis , 2018, Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management.

[36]  R. Chițescu,et al.  The perception and attitude of the resident and tourists regarding the local public administration and the tourism phenomenon , 2018, HOLISTICA – Journal of Business and Public Administration.

[37]  J. Li,et al.  Host Perceptions of Tourism Impact and Stage of Destination Development in a Developing Country , 2018, Sustainability.

[38]  D. Jani,et al.  Residents’ perception of tourism and their satisfaction: Evidence from Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania , 2018 .

[39]  Darko B. Vuković,et al.  Environmental and Community Stability of a Mountain Destination: An Analysis of Residents’ Perception , 2017 .

[40]  V. Story,et al.  Social tourism and self-efficacy: Exploring links between tourism participation, job-seeking and unemployment , 2017 .

[41]  S. A. Eshliki,et al.  Perception of Community in Tourism Impacts and their Participation in Tourism Planning: Ramsar, Iran , 2017 .

[42]  S. Sreejesh,et al.  Impact of responsible tourism on destination sustainability and quality of life of community in tourism destinations , 2017 .

[43]  G. Sinclair-Maragh Demographic analysis of residents' support for tourism development in Jamaica , 2017 .

[44]  J. N. Tabales,et al.  Stakeholders' perceptions of tourism development in Cape Verde, Africa , 2016 .

[45]  Fernando Almeida-García,et al.  Residents' perceptions of tourism development in Benalmádena (Spain) , 2016 .

[46]  F. Arion,et al.  Local Residents’ Attitude toward Sustainable Rural Tourism Development , 2016 .

[47]  M. Putkaradze,et al.  Tourism and Ecology in Adjara , Georgia : A Preliminary Review , 2016 .

[48]  D. Gursoy,et al.  An Examination of Changes in Residents' Perceptions of Tourism Impacts Over Time: The Impact of Residents' Socio-demographic Characteristics , 2015 .

[49]  M. Lo,et al.  Community involvement and sustainable rural tourism development: perspectives from the local communities , 2015, European Journal of Tourism Research.

[50]  N. Morgan,et al.  Tourism gender research: A critical accounting , 2015 .

[51]  D. Gursoy,et al.  Residents׳ perceptions toward tourism development: A factor-cluster approach , 2015 .

[52]  J. B. Garau-Vadell,et al.  Residents' Perceptions of Tourism Impacts on Island Destinations: A Comparative Analysis , 2014 .

[53]  Muhammad Izzat Zulkifly,et al.  Local Community Attitude and Support towards Tourism Development in Tioman Island, Malaysia , 2013 .

[54]  R. Rastogi,et al.  Social and psychological factors influencing destination preferences of domestic tourists in India , 2013 .

[55]  T. Lee Influence analysis of community resident support for sustainable tourism development , 2013 .

[56]  Hae-Young Kim Statistical notes for clinical researchers: assessing normal distribution (2) using skewness and kurtosis , 2013, Restorative dentistry & endodontics.

[57]  I. Hay,et al.  Public participation shortcomings in tourism planning: the case of the Langkawi Islands, Malaysia , 2012 .

[58]  C. Pickering,et al.  Assessing the impacts of mountain biking and hiking on subalpine grassland in Australia using an experimental protocol. , 2011, Journal of environmental management.

[59]  P. Ramseook-Munhurrun,et al.  Residents’ Attitudes Toward Perceived Tourism Benefits , 2011 .

[60]  Pham Hong Long,et al.  Residents’ perceptions of tourism impact and their support for tourism development: the case study of Cuc Phuong National Park, Ninh Binh province, Vietnam , 2011, European Journal of Tourism Research.

[61]  Chris Ryan,et al.  Perceptions of place, modernity and the impacts of tourism – Differences among rural and urban residents of Ankang, China: A likelihood ratio analysis , 2011 .

[62]  L. Johnson,et al.  Conceptualising a contemporary marketing mix for sustainable tourism , 2011 .

[63]  S. Schubert Coping with Externalities in Tourism: A Dynamic Optimal Taxation Approach , 2010 .

[64]  Linda Osti,et al.  Residents’ Perception and Attitudes towards Tourism Impacts: A Case Study of the Small Rural Community of Folgaria (Trentino, Italy) , 2009 .

[65]  E. Byrd,et al.  Comparisons of stakeholder perceptions of tourism impacts in rural eastern North Carolina , 2009 .

[66]  Sarjit S. Gill,et al.  Community perceptions toward economic and environmental impacts of tourism on local communities , 2009 .

[67]  S. Cottrell,et al.  A sustainable tourism framework for monitoring residents' satisfaction with agritourism in Chongdugou Village, China , 2008 .

[68]  Andrew Lepp Residents’ attitudes towards tourism in Bigodi village, Uganda , 2007 .

[69]  E. Byrd Stakeholders in sustainable tourism development and their roles: applying stakeholder theory to sustainable tourism development , 2007 .

[70]  S. Greene,et al.  Including Young Mothers: Community-based participation and the continuum of active citizenship , 2007 .

[71]  Wenjun Li,et al.  Tourism’s Impacts on Natural Resources: A Positive Case from China , 2006, Environmental management.

[72]  K. Andereck,et al.  Factors Predicting Rural Residents’ Support of Tourism , 2004 .

[73]  Rich Harrill,et al.  Residents’ Attitudes toward Tourism Development: a Literature Review with Implications for Tourism Planning , 2004 .

[74]  Rich Harrill,et al.  Tourism Planning in Historic Districts: Attitudes Toward Tourism Development in Charleston , 2003 .

[75]  Ross E. Mitchell,et al.  Community integration. Island tourism in Peru. , 2001 .

[76]  Cevat Tosun,et al.  Limits to community participation in the tourism development process in developing countries , 2000, Tourism Management.

[77]  Peter Mason,et al.  Residents' attitudes to proposed tourism development. , 2000 .

[78]  Bill Faulkner,et al.  Tourism and older residents in a sunbelt resort , 2000 .

[79]  C. Fornell,et al.  Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error , 1981 .