What is Community Attachment

The purpose of this study is to examine residents' support for tourism development in South Korea by the lens of social exchange theory and theory of reasoned. Random sampling strategy was used to collect South Koreans residents' opinions about the perceived impacts of tourism and their level of support for tourism development. Data were collected online using a questionnaire a link was sent to residents in South Korean through several social media platforms, and 693 respondents answered the questionnaire. By using regression analysis, the findings showed that residents who perceive positive impacts of tourism more than negative impacts are more likely to support tourism, while those who perceive more negative impacts of tourism are less likely to support tourism. Both personal economic benefits and community attachment were found to be important determinants of residents' perception and support toward tourism. Both theoretical and managerial implications are discussed, as well as the limitations and recommendations for future studies.