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Resident Perceptions of Tourist Attractions on the Gold Coast of Australia

The School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management at the University of South Carolina

Personal construct theory was used to identify resident perceptions of 12 elicited tourist attractions on the Gold Coast of Australia. A cluster analysis of these residents revealed nature-biased (45%), unenthusiastic (40%), hinter-land hesitant (8%), and enthusiastic (7%) groupings, with significant differences occurring in gender, length of residence, and age. The finding that tourist attractions positively influence residents’ quality of life despite the assessment of built attractions as commercialized, touristy, expensive, and noisy/hectic may owe to the status of the Gold Coast as a tourism city. Tourism overall is perceived less positively than its constituent attractions, which may reflect the relatively less positive perceptions of one attraction in particular, Surf-ers Paradise. Revitalization of this iconic tourism district may therefore improve overall attitudes toward tourism among residents.

Key Words: resident perceptions • tourist attractions • personal construct theory • Gold Coast • Australia

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