Stakeholders* Attitudes towards Sustainable Tourism Development

Stakeholders’ Attitudes towards Sustainable Tourism Development in Coastal Communities Whitney Knollenberg Thesis Committee Dr. Joseph Fridgen, Associate Director for Academic Programs, Center for Sustainable Tourism (Committee Chair) Dr. Huili Hao, Research Director, Center for Sustainable Tourism Dr. Tom Crawford, Associate Professor, Geography

Overview • • • • • • • • • • •

What is sustainable tourism development? Why do we care what residents think? Description of theory Study location Purpose Method Analysis Results Conclusions Applications Future Research

Sustainable Tourism Development “…achieving sustainable forms of tourism is the responsibility of all stakeholders involved, including government at all levels, international organizations, the private sector, environmental groups and citizens both in tourism destination countries and countries of origin.” – The Berlin Declaration On Biological Diversity and Sustainable Tourism, 1997

Sustainable Tourism Development Actions that contribute to a balanced and healthy economy by generating tourism-related jobs, revenues, and taxes while protecting and enhancing the destination's socio-cultural, historical, natural and built resources for the enjoyment and well-being of both residents and visitors. – Center for Sustainable Tourism

Importance of Residents’ Attitudes • Many studies have been conducted examining resident’s attitudes towards tourism • “…without community support, it is difficult to develop a sustainable tourism industry in a community.” - Andereck and Vogt, 2000 (p. 27) • New research is focusing on resident’s attitudes towards sustainable tourism development (Choi and Sirakaya, 2005 and 2006 )

Stakeholder Theory • Stakeholder Theory – A stakeholder is, “any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of the organization’s objectives.” - Freeman, 1984 (p. 46)

• Translating Stakeholder Theory to tourism – “Freeman’s concepts requires the tourism planner(s) to have a full appreciation of all the persons or groups who have interests in the planning, process(es), delivery and/or outcomes of the tourism service.” - Sautter and Leisen, 1999 (p. 315)

• Not all members of a stakeholder group may feel the same way

Location • The fragile nature of coastal environments requires local decision-makers to consider how their actions may impact the resources that attract tourists, such as the ocean and beaches • Coastal communities have large numbers of second homes, which introduces a new group impacted by tourism

Study Areas • Three coastal counties – Brunswick, Currituck, Pender Counties, NC

Counties selected due to: High percentage of 2nd Homes Different tiers of economic development Proximity to fragile coastal resources

Purpose This study aims to further enable resident involvement in tourism planning by identifying groups of property owners based upon their attitudes towards sustainable development. • Research Question 1: Among coastal community property owners, are there different stakeholder groups based on their perceptions of sustainable actions in tourism development?

• Research Question 2: How do these stakeholder groups compare in terms of sociodemographic characteristics?

Methods • Questionnaire development – pilot tests, focus groups, literature review • Population – Property tax payers (both permanent residents and second homeowners) • Sample –Total of 14,587 members were randomly selected from property tax records • Questionnaire available online, over the phone, or on paper

Subsample Selection • Prior to the completion of data collection a subsample was chosen for this study • Online surveys only • Random selection of 300 cases

Analysis • Similar to the analysis used by Williams and Lawson (2001) and Sirakaya-Turk, Ingram and Harrill (2009) exploratory factor analysis and cluster analysis will be used to analyze the data. • Exploratory factor analysis – Used to identify the underlying dimensions of variables designed to measure respondent’s perceptions on the importance of sustainable actions in tourism development

• TwoStep Cluster analysis – Determines groups of respondents based upon the dimensions of responses to the variables resulting from factor analysis

• Descriptive analysis – Used to create profile of each group based upon their sociodemographic characteristics

Sustainable Actions • Measured on a scale of 1 (Not at All Important) – 5 (Very Important) • These actions were adapted from Sustainable Travel International's 12 categories of sustainability • Reducing and managing greenhouse gas emissions • Managing, reducing and recycling solid waste • Reducing consumption of freshwater • Managing wastewater • Being energy efficient • Conserving the natural environment • Protecting air quality

Protecting water quality Reducing noise Preserving culture and heritage Providing economic benefits from tourism to locals • Purchasing from companies with certified green practices • Training and educating employees and clients on sustainability practices • • • •

• These actions were identified through a literature review • Protecting our community’s natural environment for future generations

• Full access for everyone in the community to participation in tourism development decisions

Results – Factor Analysis • Fifteen variables used to measure property owners’ attitudes towards sustainable actions in tourism development • Cronbach’s alpha = .935 • Principal component analysis (PCA) extraction used

Variable

Eigen Value = 8.13 Variance Explained = 54.16%

Factor 1

Reducing and managing greenhouse gas emissions

.751

Managing, reducing and recycling solid waste Reducing freshwater consumption Managing wastewater Being energy efficient Conserving the natural environment

.812 .761 .702 .873 .819

Protecting our community's natural environment for future generations

.810

Protecting air quality Protecting water quality Reducing noise Preserving culture and heritage Providing economic benefits from tourism to locals Purchasing from companies with certified green practices

.795 .765 .613 .579 .489 .782

Training and educating employees and clients on sustainability practices

.802

Full access for everyone in the community to participation in tourism development decisions

.565

Results – Cluster Analysis • The 15 variables were used to create a mean factor score • This score was used in TwoStep cluster analysis to determine the groups of property owners • Three groups were discovered and an ANOVA test confirmed their mean factor scores were significantly different Cluster

Name

n

% of Sample

1

Skeptics

35

11.7%

Average Mean Factor Score 2.85

2

Supporters

159

53.0%

3.95

3

Advocates

106

35.3%

4.71

Sustainable Action in Tourism Development Being energy efficient Conserving the natural environment Full access for everyone in the community to participate in tourism development decisions Managing wastewater Managing, reducing and recycling solid waste Preserving culture and heritage Protecting air quality Protecting natural environment for future generations Protecting water quality Providing economic benefits from tourism to locals Purchasing from companies with green practices Reducing and managing greenhouse gas Reducing freshwater consumption Reducing noise Training and educating employees on sustainability practices

Skeptics

Supporters Advocates

X

X X

X X X X

X X X X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X X

X X

Results – Sociodemographic Profiles Property Owner PR 2HO

Length of Residency PR 2HO Gender * Male Female

Education Employment in Tourism Income * Significant at .05

Skeptics

Supporters

Advocates

60.0% 40.0%

48.4% 51.6%

50.0% 50.0%

17.14 years 16.27 years

14.97 years 13.30 years

13.83 years 11.94 years

74.3% 25.7%

56.6% 43.3%

38.7% 61.3%

4 – Year College 40.0%

4 – Year College 32.1%

Post Graduate 40.6%

14.3%

8.8%

6.6%