Adolescents' attitudes toward tourism impacts
Open Access
- Author:
- Koerte, Tammy Reiko
- Graduate Program:
- Recreation, Park and Tourism Management
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- None
- Committee Members:
- Deborah Lee Kerstetter, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
- Keywords:
- adolescents
residents
tourism impacts
resident attitudes - Abstract:
- Tourism scholars have long recognized the importance of understanding residents’ attitudes toward tourism impacts. Most of their research, however, has addressed adult residents’ attitudes, with little attention directed towards adolescents. This is shortsighted as many adolescents living in a tourism destination may likely be its future workforce and hosts. Thus, the purpose of this study was to document adolescents’ attitudes toward tourism impacts. The findings will enhance the field’s understanding of potential variations in attitudes toward the impacts of tourism over the life course. They also will be valuable to organizations interested in improving or reinforcing residents’ attitudes toward tourism in their communities. Utilizing photo elicitation and semi-structured interviews, the primary researcher explored adolescent residents’ attitudes toward tourism impacts on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. Results indicated that there is a layered and mixed reaction towards tourism. All the adolescents articulated positive economic benefits of tourism and were aware of the necessity of tourism for the island’s economy. However, they also expressed negative views in terms of what they have experienced or seen as a result of tourism. Participants also expressed strong attachment to the island, with many sharing concern and dissatisfaction with their perception of and expectation for future tourism development, citing that they would rather the island stay the same. Results of this study have implications for both tourism scholars and practitioners. The inclusion of adolescent residents’ perspective to the study of tourism impacts has provided a more holistic view of the construct. Furthermore, insight into adolescent residents’ perceptions of and attitudes toward tourism will allow for a more strategic message to be delivered by tourism stakeholders (e.g., government tourism office, hotel companies, local adventure-based businesses) about the benefits of tourism such as employment, economic growth and the potential for cultural exchange with visitors. This insight also will help these same stakeholders to take a more proactive approach in addressing challenges and opportunities that could potentially arise in the future.