Feng Yanchao, Pitafi Abdul Hameed, Zhang Congcong
College of Management and Economics, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.
Department of Computer Science and Information Technology, Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan.
Heliyon. 2023 Jul 9;9(7):e18014. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18014. eCollection 2023 Jul.
The local population is considered one of the main stakeholders in tourism development. Understanding whether and how road and transport infrastructure is related to local communities' overall attitude toward tourism development is crucial. Scholars have suggested that the overall positive attitude of a local community is associated with its tourism development. This study keeps in view the positive and negative consequences of road and transport development and its relationship with local communities' overall attitude. Drawing on social exchange theory, this study investigates local community support for tourism development using 565 samples from the local community of Gilgit-Baltistan and northern areas of Pakistan. Findings show that community visibility and image enhancement are positively related to the overall attitude of the local community. Infrastructure and urbanization are also positively related to the host community's overall attitude, whereas traffic problems are negatively related to the overall attitude of the local community. However, environmental concerns have an insignificant relationship with the overall attitude of the local community. Overall attitude of local communities is also positively related to support for tourism development. Furthermore, economic benefits positively moderate the relationship between the overall attitude of the local community and its support for tourism development.
当地居民被视为旅游业发展的主要利益相关者之一。了解道路和交通基础设施是否以及如何与当地社区对旅游业发展的总体态度相关至关重要。学者们认为，当地社区的总体积极态度与其旅游业发展相关。本研究考虑了道路和交通发展的积极和消极后果及其与当地社区总体态度的关系。借鉴社会交换理论，本研究使用来自吉尔吉特-巴尔蒂斯坦当地社区和巴基斯坦北部地区的565个样本，调查了当地社区对旅游业发展的支持情况。研究结果表明，社区知名度和形象提升与当地社区的总体态度呈正相关。基础设施和城市化也与东道主社区的总体态度呈正相关，而交通问题与当地社区的总体态度呈负相关。然而，环境问题与当地社区的总体态度关系不显著。当地社区的总体态度也与对旅游业发展的支持呈正相关。此外，经济利益正向调节当地社区总体态度与其对旅游业发展支持之间的关系。
