Revisiting residents’ support for tourism development: The role of tolerance

Abstract This study revisits the topic of resident support and extends the conventional framework on social exchange theory. A conceptual model was developed by incorporating residents' tolerance for tourism development and tested based on survey data from 242 residents in Qinyan, China, an ancient town. Results indicate that residents' support for tourism was affected by perceived personal benefits and positive tourism impacts. Residents’ tolerance for tourism played a significant moderating role in the relationship between perceived negative tourism impacts and support for tourism development. Residents with lower tolerance for tourism were more sensitive to negative tourism impacts and thus tended to express lower support for tourism development. Theoretical and managerial applications of these findings were also discussed.