![Sample our Tourism, Hospitality and Events journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5950/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Tourism-Hospitality-Events.jpg"})
Abstract
This study explores residents’ identity as a possible predictor of their perceptions of the impacts of tourism as well as their support for its development in Jamaica. The study uses three measures of residents’ identity, namely: gender identity in terms of masculine and feminine traits, cultural identity in terms of norms, values and practices and occupational identity as it pertains to occupations that are related and unrelated to tourism. The study also investigates the possible relationship between tourism impacts and residents’ support for tourism development. Identity theory is used as the theoretical framework for the research as it provides plausible explanations pertaining to the influence of an individual’s identity on their attitude and behaviour. Multiple regression analyses examine the relationships among the variables. Results indicate that perceptions of the positive and negative impacts as well as feminine and occupational identities predict residents’ support. Cultural identity predicts the positive impacts of tourism development and occupational identity predicts both the positive and negative impacts. The main theoretical contribution of the study emerges from the examination of three dimensions of resident identity as possible explanatory variables for tourism development in an island destination that is highly dependent on the tourism economy.