Social Impacts of Rural Tourism--An Analysis of the Impacts on Local Residents'' Perceptions and Attitudes

• Main Authors: Hsing-Fen Tang, 湯幸芬
• Other Authors: Hong-Chin Tsai
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2001
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/68067559058910221851

博士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 農業推廣學研究所 === 89 === Abstract Rural tourism is not only the mechanism for visitors to experience the rurality but also the powerful factor for determining economic and social changes in rural area. Recently, the development of rural tourism in Taiwan turns to associate closely with local characteristics. How does the rural tourism affect local residents? What does determine these impacts? And how do these impacts further affect the attitude of residents toward rural tourism? All these issues directly relate to the sustainable tourism development. This research is to discover these issues, including the social impacts of rural tourism, the changes in local residents'' perception and attitude toward rural tourism, the factors for affecting local residents'' perceptions and attitudes changes, and the attitudes of local residents toward the future development of rural tourism. Paiho and Nanchuang which are the seasonal style and the holiday style of rural tourism townships respectively are selected as the study sites. A structural questionnaire was used to record the residents'' opinions. According to the literature review and the characteristics of rural tourism, the social impacts of rural tourism are classified as the following five categories: the quality of life; the norm and solidarity; the value of nature; the community image; and the population characteristics. Through examining local residents'' perception, this study first finds several important social impacts of rural tourism in Taiwan. There are including the improvement of public facilities, the increase of working opportunities, the increase of leisure time, the decrease of safety, the poor conditions of environment quality, the increase of living cost, the improvement of norm and solidarity, the worthless of the land, the increase of the value of agriculture, the improvement of community image, and the slight changes in the population structure. Second, the study also finds that the community attachment, the frequency of contact with tourist, and the site type are significant factors for affecting local residents'' perception of social impacts. Third, the benefits from tourism industry, the distance from the central tourist area, the frequency of contact with tourist, the leisure style of local residents, the site type, and the perceptions of social impacts are important factors for determining the attitude toward social impacts. Furthermore, the study also finds that the community attachments and the attitude of community image are two significant factors for affecting residents'' attitude toward the future development of rural tourism. Finally this study suggests that to maintain the rurality of local tourism site, to improve the community image and to concern about the site types are three effective strategies for making sustainable developments of rural tourism. Key Word：Rural Tourism , Social Impact, Social Impact Assessment