| The marketing and promotion of tourism have been both praised and criticized as a development strategy for their potential advantages (e.g., diversify an economy, create employment) and disadvantages (e.g., erode local natural and cultural amenities, destroy residents' sense of place) for a community (Reeder & Brown, 2005). Disadvantages may affect community residents by fostering negative attitudes toward the further marketing and promotion of tourism in their community. To mitigate negative attitudes associated with these problems (disadvantages), this study examined residents' attitudes toward and support for tourism promotion and marketing campaigns (TPMC) for several destinations. To address the study's objectives, a conceptual research model based on Eagly and Chaiken's attitude model (1993) was developed. The model was extended utilizing a place marketing approach, a social marketing framework, social exchange theory, Eagly and Chaiken's attitude theory, and reasoned action theory. The proposed model was tested with twelve hypotheses. Independent variables included: belief, emotional experience, involvement, tourism knowledge, personal benefit, and community attachment. The main dependent variable was attitudes toward TPMC.;Data were collected using a mail questionnaire across several destination areas (i.e., Emmet, Saginaw and Tuscola counties in Michigan, USA) at different levels of tourism development. The questionnaire was developed from a literature review of existing studies addressing residents' attitudes toward tourism development and marketing and later modified based on input obtained from university researchers and officials in two of the three counties. A total of 3,008 households constituted the population and twenty-eight percent (28%) of the surveys were returned. A non-response survey was sent out following the main data collection period to assess any biases in the dataset. Eighteen percent (18%) of this sample (n=300) returned the non-response survey, and the results from non-respondents were found to be relatively indistinct from the main study results. The study model was tested utilizing a series of multiple regression analyses, the major analysis of this study.;The results revealed residents, who have a high level of belief, emotional experience, and involvement in decision-making of tourism development and promotion, are more likely to hold positive attitudes toward tourism marketing and promotion than those with lower levels. From the three different geographic areas, this study consistently found homeowners' beliefs in TPMC are stronger or more influential than the emotional experience and involvement in attitudes toward TPMC. Implications for planners and developers include a need for tourism marketing and promotion strategies to meet residents' demands that directly influence a level of "beliefs, emotional experiences, and involvement" opportunities for local residents or homeowners. Further study should expand to the measurement of residents' behavior in TPMC by considering new behavioral facets in the model, with which the study would be able to test and expand the study findings, particularly on understanding how residents' intentions impact behavior at tourism marketing and promotion, and also find empirical and theoretical evidences to support the TRA model (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980) in a tourism marketing and promotion context. |
