Residents’ attitude towards tourism development: The case of the Urlaubsregion Murtal - Tapa blanda

Tourism development within a destination always causes distinct changes and specific impacts. The local population is directly affected by these modifications, thus tourism planners need to be aware of them, and even involve the locals into the development process. The success of tourism is dependent on the approval, support and hospitality of the residents. This work focuses on the determination of residents’ attitude and behavior, particularly how attitude is influenced, and on the other hand, how it influences residents’ actions. The objective is to analyze if and how tourism impacts are perceived and how they affect the residents’ attitude in the Urlaubsregion Murtal. Furthermore, it aims to investigate the relationship between attitude and behavior. In the end, implications for the decision making bodies in the region are derived in order to improve the involvement of the locals.