Predicting effects of demographics and moderating power of engagement on residents’ perceptions of tourism development

Abstract

Community engagement in tourism development must be given high cognizance as presence of community acceptance can yield favorable and supportive effect on sustainable development whereas lack of community acceptance can have adverse effect. By examining Indianapolis residents’ perceptions on how the Cultural Trail has improved the city’s cultural tourism development, this study investigates the predicting effects of community attachment by means of residents’ demographic profiles (i.e. gender, ethnicity, age, and income) which shows that the residents’ perceptions vary in accordance to their demographic characteristics. The results also demonstrate that the perceptual differences are moderated by the residents’ level of engagement with the new major attraction of the Cultural Trail. This study recommends that there is a need for the tourism planners and marketers to promote and increase the awareness of tourism development among the local residents.