Ski – resort and regional development: profile of visitors ... - E-Journal

Predicting residents’ perceptions of cultural tourism attractiveness
model is a valuable tool for a systematic analysis of city tourism space development as it
permits a focus on different types of attractions of a city. Oppermann, Din, and Amri (1996),
Ashworth (1989), and Ritter (1986) propose their own versions of city models that will ensure
sustainable city tourism.
Such endeavors require accurate assessments of visitor needs and perceptions for destinations
to determine where they are meeting the needs of their target visitors, and identify areas that
additional efforts are needed. The quality of services, facilities and attractions of destinations
in the eyes of visitors will usually be important factors in creating an image which not only
helps to attract new visitors, but also encourages past visitors to return to the destination
(Joppe, Martin, & Waalen, 2001).
Ross (2007) surveyed residents of an Australian city to measure their perceptions of the
impacts of tourism on city facilities and on individual and community life. The results show
that tourism had positive effects on hospitality facilities, leisure and entertainment services,
as well as business opportunities. Several negative impacts were found such as increased
living costs and crime rate. In addition, the study revealed that tourism has greater impact on
the community as a whole rather than on the individual level.
Achana and Avgoustis (2001) used the importance performance analysis (IP) to assess
Indianapolis’s position as a potential international tourism destination. IP is a research
technique often used in strategic quality development of the salient features of services and
products provided to customers (Martilla & James, 1977; Hawes & Rao, 1985; Dolinsky,
1991; Almanza, Jaffe, & Lin., 1994; Go & Zhang, 1997; Joppe et al., 2001). In tourism
destination assessments, it involves a simultaneous examination of the assessments by visitors
of both the importance of the salient features of the services and products provided by a
destination, and the extent to which the destination is seen by the visitors to have performed
to their expectations on those salient features. Achana and Avgoustis (2001) concluded that
Indianapolis has certain destination features that could allow it to position itself competitively,
such as: (a) exceptional hospitality to the visitor, (b) high standards of cleanliness and
hygiene, (c) safety concerns would not be a major preoccupation of visitors, (d) new and
unique experiences that differ from other American destinations, and (e) diverse offering of
restaurants. In order to remain competitive, Indianapolis must create a distinctive market
position out of its unique comparative advantages.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The following three objectives were established to address the purpose of the study: (a) design
a survey to be administered to Indianapolis residents, (b) utilize a number of statistical
techniques, including descriptive statistical analysis to detect Indianapolis residents’ demographic
profiles and their perceptions about city services, and (c) perform a factor analysis and a
regression analysis to determine what factors are more important as predictors of Indianapolis’
overall attractiveness as a cultural tourism destination.
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