Residents' attitudes toward tourism development in Shandong, China

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to develop and test the reliability of six tourism scales based on Ap and Crompton's research. Design/methodology/approach - In order to test the scale, the authors examine differences between genders' tourism beliefs, tourism evaluation, and perceptions of the impact of tourism throughout Shandong China. The sampling frame in this study includes residents over 18 years of age and living more than a year in Shandong Province. As an experimental study, a convenience sampling method is employed to select samples. The sample distribution of each of the 17 cities of Shandong Province equals the multiplied products of the total samples (760) and the percentage of its population in the total population of Shandong. Findings - The tourism scale is shown to be reliable. The data illustrate the benefits and challenges of an emerging destination within an emerging national tourism product. In Shandong, residents acknowledged tourism's positive social benefits such as better shopping facilities, while at the same time recognizing the negative impact of tourism on the natural environment. Originality/value - Residents' perceptions of tourism and its impact to the community has primarily been conducted in the USA. Of the research, limited data exists which examines differences between genders' perceptions of the benefits tourism may bring to a region. This study compares males' versus females' perceptions of the changes tourism development has to the Shandong province in China. This study offers insights into different perspectives by gender and culture.