RESIDENTS' ATTITUDES TOWARD TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN MACAO: A PATH MODEL

Under the framework of social exchange theory, this study has attempted to examine residents' perceptions of and attitudes toward tourism development in Macao. More specifically, this study has investigated the structural relationships between residents' support for and restriction on tourism development and their perceived positive and negative tourism impacts, job dependency, community attachment, and decision involvement. Path analysis is used for data analysis. Findings indicate that residents' perceptions are influenced by community attachment and decision involvement, and their support for tourism development can be predicted by their perceptions of tourism impacts and decision involvement. The results lend support for social exchange theory in the context of Macao.