Residents' perceptions and attitudes towards tourism in Malta

Abstract

This study focuses on the socio-cultural principle embraced within the concept of sustainable tourism, where more specifically the main area of interest is the local residents’ perceptions of tourism and their support towards tourism development in the Maltese Islands. Primarily, this study looks at the important factors affecting residents’ perceptions and attitudes towards tourism, and the most recent models applied by researchers to measure this phenomenon. The approach adopted in this study is of a quantitative nature, where the model developed by Boley et al. (2012) was applied in the Maltese Islands. In view of this, residents’ perceptions and attitudes towards tourism were analysed on the basis of seven constructs of psychological empowerment, social empowerment, political empowerment, personal economic benefit, positive impacts, negative impacts and support for tourism. In addition to this, the model was further refined in a way, to make it suitable to an island context, and more holistic by introducing the concept of residents’ attitudes to tourism volume growth subject to seasonality and territory. The study also investigates variations in perceptions by socio-demographic profile. In a nutshell, findings show that residents’ support for tourism in the Maltese Islands is very high; positive impacts are perceived to surpass the negative impacts of tourism; and empowerment through tourism is significantly positively perceived by residents. Furthermore, the study identifies the positive impacts of tourism and psychological empowerment as the best predictors for residents support to tourism. The study concludes by recommending future frequent implementation of this research exercise to cater for the dynamic nature of residents’ perceptions. Furthermore, the relevant authorities are encouraged to use the research findings in the prioritisation of projects, in a way to protect society’s quality of life through the adoption of sustainable tourism principles.