ABSTRACT
With the aim of designating a destination’s stage of development by examining local residents’ responses to tourism, this study links local response theories and the Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC) model, providing an easy-to-operate approach to evaluate a destination’s stage of development. By examining the local responses from two destinations in China with similar attractions and connecting their response features with the TALC model, the authors designate the two destinations studied as at consolidation and development stages, respectively. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of the features of destination development at various stages and highlights the importance of local responses as a key indicator that should be addressed in destination planning and management.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
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This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.
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Notes on contributors
(Joe) Yong Zhou
(Joe) Yong Zhou is an assistant professor at Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao. His research interests include resident perceptions towards tourism, tourism impacts, and event tourism.
Yulin Huang
Yulin Huang was a graduate student at Macau University of Science and Technology, and now works for Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai). Her research interests are tourism impact and MICE management.