Exploring resident attitudes toward women owned and operated tourism businesses: The case of Ayampe Ecuador

The following study presents two articles written to explore the scope of resident attitudes toward the impacts of tourism, the conceptual frameworks, and associated theories that provide the foundation of resident attitude studies. Particular emphasis is placed on research regarding sociocultural impacts, and more specifically, the impact of tourism on changing social roles and the role of women.;The first article of this study presents a detailed examination of existing literature related to the above topics and makes suggestions for future research. The second article presents findings from research conducted during the summer of 2010. The goal of this research was to explore resident attitudes toward women-owned and operated tourism businesses in an emerging destination. In line with the research goal, three research questions were developed. A measurement scale was created using a combination of appropriate items modified from previous resident attitude studies and new items derived from literature on women's role in tourism development. Using non-parametric tests of group differences, little variation in attitudes existed among demographic groups and residents' opinions of the costs and benefits had a minor influence on attitudes.