Self-congruity theory and residents’ attitudes toward tourism

Abstract

This research investigates the intersection of self-congruency theory and resident attitudes toward tourism in their community. Considerable research has applied self-congruity theory in tourism, and resident attitudes toward tourism have been a well-explored topic. But this research, which considers the congruity between how locals view themselves, how they perceive tourists in their community, and their attitudes toward their community's tourism, seems to be the first to relate these topics, providing results that suggest that seeing tourists as reasonably congruent with how one sees oneself results in a significantly more positive attitude toward tourism in their community. This finding has important implications for tourism management, suggesting that understanding the self-image of residents in one's community and focusing marketing upon guests who are similar to their residents can be a successful strategy. Diversity, equity and inclusion issues regarding such an approach are also considered.