Influence analysis of community resident support for sustainable tourism development By Tsung Hung Lee. Presented By Ibrahim Zubairu Abubakar Auwalu Sani Yahaya

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY The primary purpose of this study was to assess the support of community residents for sustainable tourism development using the latent variables such as Community attachment Community involvement Perceived benefits Perceived costs, and Support for sustainable tourism development in the Cigu wetland.

STRUCTURAL MODEL

CIGU WETLAND

CONT.1 A community that plans to use tourism as an alternative means of strengthening its economy, must develop sustainable tourism to meet the needs and demands of its residents.

CONT.2 Community-based tourism has become a viable option for developing traditional rural industries because it can provide Economic benefits to the local community. A greater environmental awareness Highest-quality experiences to the visitors “The development of sustainable tourism is difficult without the support and participation of the community residents”. (Hung, 2012 : 27).

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT/SUPPORT

Residents’ support for sustainable tourism development Can meet the needs of tourists Provide opportunities and enhance economic growth Protect physical locations Improve the quality of life of residents Enhancing opportunities for the future through the Coexistence of tourism development and Environmental quality Thus, community-based tourism development has become an important tool for sustainable management. (Hung, 2012: 27).

FACTORS THAT INflUENCE LOCAL COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT Perceived benefit perceived costs Community attachment and Community involvement may affect residents’ support for sustainable tourism development. Community participation plays a significant role in the sustainable development of community-based tourism because community participation can increase the value of a community by enhancing the positive effects of tourism and reducing its negative effects.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH The research instrument used for this study was structural questionnaire which includes items that measured community attachment, community involvement, perceived benefits, perceived costs, and support for sustainable tourism development. Stratified random-sampling method was used for data collection and nine (9) communities within the locations were selected for this study. The questionnaire items were assessed using Likert scales.The responses were scored on a seven-point Likert scale ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree”. Only communities involved in tourism development were sampled. The questionnaires were administered using a direct face to face survey methodology. Moreover, Descriptive statistics and the profiles of the host residents were evaluated using SPSS 17.0 for Windows.

TABLE

The analytical results suggest that community attachment and community involvement are critical factors that affect the level of support for sustainable tourism development. The benefits perceived by host residents affect the relationship between community attachment and support for sustainable tourism development and between community involvement and support for sustainable tourism development. FINDINGS

CONCLUSION The study examined how community attachment significantly and directly correlates with perceived benefits and indirectly correlates with support for sustainable tourism development. Similarly, community involvement significantly and directly correlates with perceived benefits and indirectly affects support for sustainable tourism development for the host residents living in a community-based tourism area.

Recommendations It suggests that the managers or marketers of community development associations should develop programs to foster community attachment among host residents e.g. promotion of a community based festivals. Local governments should provide opportunities for host residents to participate in tourism-related activities and to invest in the development of community-based tourism. Community managers should focus on activities that can increase the perceived benefits of sustainable tourism among host residents, such as developing cultural activities, increasing cultural exchanges between visitors and residents, and increasing opportunities for leisure and tourism.

CONT Managers of these communities should provide opportunities for residents to become involved in the planning and management of sustainable tourism development within their communities. Tourism industries in local communities should give priority for employment to host residents to generate local employment opportunities and realize the perceived benefits from tourism development.