Analysis and Empirical Study on the Influencing Factors of Residents' Support at the Exploration Stage of Tourism Development: A Case Study of Beigang Village in Haikou City

Abstract

As the owners of tourism resources and influencers of tourism development in a destination, residents' attitudes play a significant role in the development of tourism in the exploration stage. During this first stage in the life cycle of a tourism site, residents support changes significantly owing to the influence of tourism development. However, many scholars have focused on the development, consolidation, and maturation stages of tourism development, with the exploration stage often being neglected due to its less obvious performance characteristics. Therefore, the applicability of current research findings to the exploratory stage is highly questionable. To address this issue, this study selected Beigang Village in Haikou City, which is currently in the exploratory stage, as a case site. Using the behavioral decision theory and a quantitative research method, we explored the influence of the following factors on residents' tourism support in the exploratory stage: tourism development potential perception, positive influence perception, negative influence perception, sense of place, and residents' support. The main conclusions are summarized as follows: (1) During the exploration stage of tourism development, tourism development potential perception, positive and negative impact perception, and sense of place significantly impact resident support. In addition, tourism development potential perception is a key core factor, which not only influences residents' support through direct and mediated effects but also has different effects on residents' tourism impact perception and sense of place. (2) Tourism development potential perception has a moderating effect on the relationship between sense of place and positive impact perception. For residents with a stronger sense of place, their tourism development potential perception has a significant positive effect on positive impact perception; for residents with a weaker sense of place, their tourism development potential perception does not influence their positive impact perception. (3) Both rational and irrational factors played a role in the residents' subjective decisions during the exploration stage. Overall, this study constructs a conceptual model of resident support in the exploration stage and analyzes the relationships between tourism development potential perception, positive and negative influence perception, sense of place, and resident support. Moreover, it plays a guiding role in the development of tourism destinations in the exploration stage and suggests that local governments and tourism developers should take active steps to improve residents' support for sustainable tourism development.

Keywords

• exploration stage
• resident support
• influencing factors
• tourism development potential perception
• beigang village