Stakeholders' perceptions & attitudes towards tourism development in a mature destination

Stakeholders' perceptions towards tourism development within destinations have been emphasized by researchers and practitioners. However, literature has only focused local residents' role in tourism development, leaving a gap in knowledge on stakeholders' engagement in tourism development process. This study investigates stakeholders' perceptions, attitudes and involvement in tourism development for a mature Malaysian beach resort destination. Using a survey, 231 responses from different stakeholders in the destination were collected and used for statistical analysis. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to get tourism development factors including attachment to community, involvement of government, inclination towards tourism development, and attitude towards tourism development. It was followed by cluster analysis, which revealed three groups, including Optimists, Favorers and Nay-Sayers representing different levels of perceptions, attitudes and involvement towards tourism development. The findings of this study reiterated the importance of developing a tourism development strategy that is in line with the needs and wants of the stakeholders. These findings and conclusions may be beneficial for tourism policymakers in Malaysia and elsewhere where critical need for stakeholder management exists.