The effects of community factors on residents’ perceptions toward World Heritage Site inscription and sustainable tourism development

Abstract

Using partial least squares-structural equation modeling, we analyzed data from 410 questionnaires completed by a sample of residents from the vicinity of the George Town World Heritage Site (WHS), Malaysia, to investigate the effects of community factors on residents’ perceptions and support for WHS conservation and tourism development. To conceptualize these relationships, we developed a framework based on social exchange theory (SET) and previous empirical evidence. While community attachment, cultural attitudes, community involvement, and community gain had positive effects on residents’ perceptions, the effects of community members’ gain and status consistency were particularly strong. Our results suggest that perceptions strongly influence support for WHS conservation and tourism development. Having examined a number of new resident perception factors, this study makes a significant theoretical and methodological contribution to the tourism and resident perception literature. Furthermore, this study has practical implications for future sustainable community development in the George Town WHS.

KEYWORDS:

• Residents’ perceptions
• community factor
• social exchange theory
• World Heritage Site
• partial least-squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM)

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank George Town World Heritage Inc. for collaboration in data collection stage.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) under the research grant entitled (Heritage Awareness and Interpretation) [grant number 1001/PTS/8660012].

Notes on contributors

S. Mostafa Rasoolimanesh

Dr S. Mostafa Rasoolimanesh is a post-doctoral fellow at the school of Housing, Building, and Planning of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). His research interest areas contain community participation, strategic planning, and tourism development. He has published several articles in high impact journals such as Tourism Management, Cities, Habitat International, and Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research.

Mastura Jaafar

Professor Dr Mastura Jaafar is currently a lecturer in the program of quantity surveying at the Universiti Sains Malaysia for the School of Housing, Building and Planning. She has pursued her PhD in strategic management. She is currently attached to Sustainable Tourism Research Cluster (STRC) in USM. She has published articles in many tourism journals such as Tourism Management, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Asia Pacific of Tourism Research and Tourism and Hospitality Research.

Ned Kock

Professor Dr Ned Kock is Killam Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Division of International Business and Technology Studies, in the A.R. Sanchez, Jr. School of Business, at Texas A&M International University. He has authored and edited several books, including the Sage Publications book titled Systems Analysis and Design Fundamentals: A Business Process Redesign Approach. He has also published his research in a number of high-impact journals. He is the developer of WarpPLS, a widely used nonlinear variance-based structural equation modeling software, and Founding Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of e-Collaboration.

A. Ghafar Ahmad

Professor Dr A. Ghafar Ahmad is currently a lecturer at the Universiti Sains Malaysia. His research interest areas contain building conservation, urban conservation, and heritage tourism. He has written and edited a few books on heritage and urban conservation. He has presented several papers at both local and international conferences, and he has published several papers in local and international journals.