Does Community Support in Moderating Roles Mitigate Short Comings in Rural Tourism Development?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/pjhas.2024.10.2.1Keywords:
Sundarbans, hard and soft services, destination, SEM, domestic touristsAbstract
Background: Rural tourism offers unique experiences and the potential to revitalize local economies. Objectives: This study explores the connection between tourism destination competitiveness, hard services (e.g., infrastructure), soft services (e.g., hospitality), and the moderating role of community support within the Sundarbans National Park, rural destination in West Bengal, India. Methodology: A quantitative approach was used to measure and analyse numerical data, identifying relationships and drawing conclusions. This study employed this approach to examine how community support influences rural tourism development. The primary data for this study was gathered through a survey conducted among domestic tourists who had visited the Sundarbans. This survey offered direct insights into the experiences and opinions of these tourists. SEM is used as it handles complex relationships between variables, i.e., community support and rural tourism development. Path analysis was conducted using PLS-4 to examine how various forms of community support, such as hospitality, cooperations, etc. influence the development of tourism in Sundarbans. Results: Results underscores the importance of hard and soft services combined key drivers of rural tourism destination competitiveness setting. Moreover, strong community support significantly amplifies the positive effect of these services on the competitiveness of the destination. Conclusion: The study offers valuable insights for rural tourism development, emphasizing the significance of community connection in enhancing destination attractiveness and competitiveness.
References
Abas, A. S., & Mohd Hanafiah, M. H. (2014). Local community attitudes towards tourism development in Tioman Island. In Sixth Tourism Outlook Conference. Paper Tourism, Leisure and Global Change, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, 22–24 April 2013. 1, 135– 147.
Andereck, K. L., & Nyaupane, G. P. (2011). Exploring the nature of tourism and quality of life perceptions among residents. Journal of Travel Research, 50(3), 248–260.
Angelkova, T., Koteski, C., & Jakovlev, Z. (2012). Sustainability and competitiveness of tourism. Procedia—Social and Behavioral Sciences, 44, 221– 227.
Brehm, J. M., Eisenhauer, B. W., & Krannich, R. S. (2004). Dimensions of community attachment and their relationship to well-being in the amenity-rich rural West. Rural Sociology, 69(3), 405–429.
Briedenhann, J., & Wickens, E. (2004). Tourism routes as a tool for the economic development of rural areas—Vibrant hope or impossible dream? Tourism Management, 25(1), 71–79.
Buhalis, D. (2000). Marketing the competitive destination of the future. Tourism Management, 21(1), 97–116.
Çalışkan, V. (2014). Examining cultural tourism attractions for foreign visitors: The case of camel wrestling in Selçuk (Ephesus). Turizam, 14(1), 22–40.
Cavender-Bares, J., Heffernan, J., King, E., Polasky, S., Balvanera, P., & Clark, W. (2013). Sustainability and Biodiversity. Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, 7, 71.
Crouch, G. I., & Ritchie, J. R. B. (1999). Tourism, competitiveness, and societal prosperity. Journal of Business Research, 44, 137–152.
Dwyer, L., & Kim, C. (2003). Destination competitiveness: Determinants and indicators. Current Issues in Tourism, 6(5), 369–414.
Emami, S., & Yasouri, M. (2023). A future research study in
the drivers of rural tourism. Agricultural Research and Technology. Retrieved from http://rvt.agri-peri.ac.ir/ article_129489.html?lang=en.
Getz, D. (2008). Sustainable tourism development and local communities. Annals of Tourism Research, 35(2), 275– 284.
Goulding, R., Horan, E., & Tozzi, L. (2014). The importance of sustainable tourism in reversing the trend in the economic downturn and population decline of rural communities. Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural, 12(3), 549–563.
Hair, J., Risher, J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. (2018). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11- 2018-0203.
Hassan, S. S. (2000). Determinants of market competitiveness in an environmentally sustainable tourism industry. Journal of Travel Research, 38(3), 239–245.
Jaafar, M., Kayat, K., Tangit, T., & Yacob, M. (2013). Nature based rural tourism and its economic benefits: A case study of Kinabalu National Park. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/ WHATT-03-2013-0016
Kaptan, S., Bağcı, E. Ç., & Sergiou, V. M. (2020). Rural tourism development and community participation in protected areas: A case study from Turkey. Sustainability, 12(14), 5720.
Kozak, M. (2001). A critical review of approaches to measure satisfaction with tourist destinations. In Consumer psychology of tourism, hospitality, and leisure. Volume 2 (pp. 303–320). https://doi.
org/10.1079/9780851995359.0303
Leong, L.-Y., Hew, T.-S., Ooi, K.-B., & Wei, J. (2020). Predicting mobile wallet resistance: A two-staged structural equation modeling-artificial neural network approach. International Journal of Information Management, 51, 102047. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
ijinfomgt.2019.102047.
Liu, Y.-L., Chiang, J.-T., & Ko, P.-F. (2023). The benefits of tourism for rural community development. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10. https://doi. org/10.1057/s41599-023-01610-4.
Lo, M. C., Chin, C. H., & Law, F.-Y. (2017). Tourists’ perspectives on hard and soft services toward rural tourism destination competitiveness: Community support as a moderator. Tourism and Hospitality
Logar, I. (2010). Sustainable tourism management in Crikvenica, Croatia: An assessment of policy instruments. Tourism Management, 31, 125–135.
Mathew, V. (2009). Sustainable tourism: A case of destination competitiveness in South Asia. South Asian Journal of Tourism and Heritage, 2(1), 83–89.
Mihalic, T. (2000). Environmental management of a tourist destination: A factor of tourism competitiveness. Tourism Management, 21, 65–78.
Polo, A. I., & Frías, D. (2010). Collective strategies for rural tourism: The experience of networks in Spain. Journal of Tourism Consumption and Practice, 2(1), 25–44.
Ramjit, M. (2015). Sustainable regional development through rural tourism in Jammu and Kashmir. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 4(2), 1–16.
Spencer, D. M., & Nsiah, C. (2013). The economic consequences of community support for tourism: A case study of a heritage fish hatchery. Tourism Management, 34, 221–230.
Stetić, S. (2012). Specific features of rural tourism destinations management. Journal of Settlements and Spatial Planning, 1(1), 131–137.
UNWTO. (2016). International tourist arrivals up 4% reach a record 1.2 billion in 2015. Retrieved from http://m. tourism-review.com/2015-international-tourist-arrivals up-news4863 (accessed 21 January 2016).
UNWTO. (2020). Technical Note: Tourism and Rural Development. World Tourism Organization.
UNWTO Global Rural Tourism Startup Competition | UN Tourism. (n.d.). Retrieved November 18, 2024, from https://www.unwto.org/unwto-global-rural-tourism startup-competition.
Vengesayi, S. (2003). A conceptual model of tourism destination competitiveness and attractiveness. In Proceedings of the ANZMAC 2003, Adelaide, Australia, 1–3 December (pp. 637–647).
Warren, C. (2013). Encouraging rural tourism to embrace bush fire risk management through business and visitor improvement strategies. Australia: International Centre for Responsible Tourism.
Wilde, S. J., & Cox, C. (2008). Linking destination
competitiveness and destination development: Findings from a mature Australian tourism destination. In Proceedings of the Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA) European Chapter Conference—
Competition in Tourism: Business and Destination Perspectives, Helsinki, Finland (pp. 467–478).
Yoon, Y. (2002). Development of a structural model for tourism destination competitiveness from stakeholders’ perspectives (Doctoral dissertation, Hospitality and Tourism Management, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.