Different Type of Residents, Different Type of Attitudes?

Abstract

This study examines residents' attitudes towards sustainable tourism development in Timor-Leste, a new country that is also in the initial stages of tourism development. In particular, this study intends to understand whether residents with different roles and responsibilities (ordinary residents and residents as leaders in the public, private sectors, and NGOs) have different attitudes about the development of sustainable tourism. In order to accomplish this goal, the sustainable tourism attitude scale (SUS-TAS) is applied. Results have shown that ‘ordinary residents' as well as residents with leadership responsibilities in the community are very positive and supportive of tourism development. These results are encouraging for the development of tourism in this country and should be considered by the government, private sectors, and NGOs to promote tourism industries as a contribution to the sustainable development of Timor-Leste.