Residents' attitudes towards an instant resort enclave

Researchers have suggested that residents' attitudes towards tourism depend on the expected costs and benefits of tourism. While many studies have examined this proposition towards the later stages of development, Few have examined the pre-tourism phase. This study used in-depth interviews with residents of Isabela, Puerto Rico, to examine their attitudes towards a proposed ''instant'' enclave resort in their community. At the rime the research was conducted, Isabela was the planned site of the largest resort in the Caribbean. Results indicate that respondents are aware of both some of the positive and negative impacts of tourism, and are quite ambivalent about the planned tourist site. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.