Rural Resident Tourism Perceptions And Attitudes By Community Level Of Tourism

Abstract

Focusing on the residents of 28 rural Colorado communities, this research examines differences in resident tourism perceptions and attitudes across communities categorized on the basis of the community's existing level of tourism. The results indicate that the perceived impacts of tourism, both positive and negative, increase with increasing levels of tourism. With respect to resident attitudes toward additional tourism development, however, the results suggest that resident attitudes initially increase in favorability with increasing tourism development, but achieve a threshold level of development beyond which attitudes become less favorable. In this study, this threshold was achieved when approximately 30% ofthe community's retail sales were derivedfrom tourism. Finally, the results also indicate that resident supportfor special tourism user fees and taxes increases with increasing levels of tourism development.