Title: The role of local government management of tourism in fostering residents' support to sustainable tourism development: evidence from a Portuguese historic town

Authors: Isabel Vieira; Ana Rodrigues; Didiana Fernandes; Carlos Pires

Addresses: Higher Education School of Technology and Management, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, Lamego, Portugal ' Department of Economics, Sociology and Management, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal ' Higher Education School of Technology and Management, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, Lamego, Portugal ' University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Department of Mathematics, Vila Real, Portugal

Abstract: This study proposes a conceptual framework that explores the correlations between economic dependence (ED), local government management of tourism (GMT), perceived tourism benefits and costs, and support for sustainable tourism development (STD). A quantitative research design was adopted. Data collection was carried out by personal survey applied to 300 residents of the small historic town of Lamego, located within the Douro Valley World Heritage Site. Structural equation modelling methods were employed to analyse the proposed model. Results suggest that GMT has a significant effect on the perceived impacts of tourism, both in the positive and in the negative. The effect of GMT in fostering residents' support to STD was also empirically supported. Additionally, it was also determined that positive perceptions of the impacts of tourism directly influence support to STD. Nevertheless, ED does not have a significant effect either on perceived benefits, nor on perceived costs or on residents' support to STD. Likewise, perceptions of the negative impacts do not predict residents' support to STD.

Keywords: local government; tourism management; economic dependence; tourism impacts; sustainable tourism; Portugal; resident support; historic towns; perceived benefits; tourism benefits; perceived costs; tourism costs; structural equation modelling; SEM; sustainability.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTP.2016.077967

International Journal of Tourism Policy, 2016 Vol.6 No.2, pp.109 - 135

Received: 13 Aug 2015
Accepted: 23 Feb 2016
Published online: 28 Jul 2016 *

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