A TALE OF TOURISM IN 2 CITIES

This study sought to extend past research on rural residents' perceptions of community tourism development. Residents from two Arizona cities, each at different levels of tourism development, were compared on their perceptions of tourism. After controlling for development, a hierarchical model testing the relative contribution of variable sets related to resident characteristics and social exchange theory in explaining perceptions was examined. Of special interest was a social exchange variable set representing balance of power. The linear relationship between significant predictors from the model and perceptions was then compared across samples. Results indicate that differences existed between cities, and that balance of power measures were significant predictors of perceptions. Implications are discussed.