Host community reactions: A cluster analysis
Introduction
The staging of major events has become an integral part of tourism destination marketing (Mules and Faulkner, 1996, Ritchie and Smith, 1991, Thorne and Munro-Clark, 1989). Although they are transitory, events may be construed as additions to a region’s inventory of attractions and, accordingly, they are instrumental in augmenting both the range of markets relevant to the destination and its critical mass of attractions. Apart from this, however, high profile events produce significant promotional benefits by virtue of the exposure they receive in the media beyond the destination. Indeed, it has been suggested that the latter effect is as important, if not more, than the event itself in terms of roles in destination marketing (Pyo, Cook and Howell 1988).
As with other elements of the destination mix, events may have positive or negative impacts on residents. Sound management of the event (and other elements of the destination associated with it) hinges on the ability of those responsible to avoid, or at least ameliorate, the negative impacts and accentuate the positive ones. These objectives are driven as much by ethical concerns, encompassing equity and quality of life issues, as they are by more pragmatic destination marketing considerations emphasized in the literature. In considering the destination marketing implications of host community reactions, Madrigal (1995) has alluded to Kotler’s (1988) internal marketing concept. The internal culture of a firm is seen to be a factor affecting the receptiveness of its staff to customers and thus, the quality of service it provides. Similarly, it is argued that a host community that is positively disposed will enhance the tourists’ experience and contribute to the destination’s attractiveness. Given that the quality of life and equity outcomes within a community will have a significant bearing on resident perceptions, a planning/management regime sensitive to community needs is an essential ingredient of sustainable tourism development. The feasibility of such an approach ultimately depends upon how effectively the impacts of tourism and events on communities are monitored and understood.
When compared with the considerable body of research on the social impacts of tourism, relatively little progress has been made on social impacts specifically associated with events. While some authors have highlighted the tourism/events nexus and the similarities between the two in order to draw insights about the impacts of events from the tourism literature, no comparative studies on their respective impacts have been carried out. The purpose of this paper is to investigate host community reactions to the Gold Coast Indy event in Australia and to explore similarities in the clustering tendencies of residents based on their perceptions of tourism in general and reactions to a major event.
The methodological approach adopted in most studies has generally involved an emphasis on measuring resident perceptions, attitudes, and behavioral adjustments at the individual level, and identifying predominant patterns in these responses and how they are related to various independent variables. The point of departure of the research described here is that, while it also has a foundation involving measurement at the individual resident level, it is more concerned with how such information can be utilized to identify groups of residents. These groups or “nested communities” (Madrigal 1995:87) vary in terms of their reaction to tourism. This approach relies on the use of cluster analysis and the rationale for its application is that it provides more generalized information on community reactions. This information enables those responsible for planning and managing tourism activities to more effectively target remedial action aimed at avoiding or counteracting negative impacts (Davis et al., 1988, Madrigal, 1995). An equally important justification for the examination of clustering tendencies within communities is it provides an insight into the structure of community reactions to tourism (and events), and thus provides a powerful tool for investigating the generality of these responses.
Section snippets
Resident responses to tourism and events
As noted earlier, there is a large and growing volume of studies concerned with the social impacts of tourism on resident communities. Pearce, Moscardo and Ross (1996), for instance, refer to over 30 studies in this area. It is beyond the scope of this paper to provide a thorough review and, in any case, comprehensive reviews have been provided elsewhere by the latter authors. However, the relevant findings are briefly outlined below.
Broadly speaking, the bulk of previous research into host
Conclusion
In their study of community reactions to tourism, Pearce et al (1996) drew a distinction between etic and emic paradigms. The former approach is based on the researcher’s a priori assumptions and constructs regarding the dimensions of the community’s response, which are then imposed upon the community through the measurement process. Drawing on social representations theory, the latter (emic) approach recognizes the complexities of community representations of phenomena and the role of social
Elizabeth Fredline and Bill Faulkner are both with the Center for Tourism and Hotel Management Research at Griffith University, Gold Coast. (PMB 50, Gold Coast Mail Centre, Queensland 9726, Australia. Email 〈[email protected]〉). The first author is currently researching residents’ perceptions of hallmark events. Her co-author’s current research interests include social impacts of tourism, events tourism, destination marketing, demand forecasting, and strategic analysis.
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Elizabeth Fredline and Bill Faulkner are both with the Center for Tourism and Hotel Management Research at Griffith University, Gold Coast. (PMB 50, Gold Coast Mail Centre, Queensland 9726, Australia. Email 〈[email protected]〉). The first author is currently researching residents’ perceptions of hallmark events. Her co-author’s current research interests include social impacts of tourism, events tourism, destination marketing, demand forecasting, and strategic analysis.