The impact of residents’ posture on the degree of acceptance of sports tourism in comparison to other tourist offers in punta del este

Abstract

This chapter examines the relationship between residents’ posture towards tourism and the degree of acceptance of sports tourism in comparison to sun and beach tourism, maritime tourism (sailing and cruises), and nature tourism in the case of Punta del Este (Uruguay). The study of residents’ posture is important for the management of tourist destinations. Residents create a posture towards tourism through a cost-benefit analysis based on their perception of economic, social, cultural, and environmental impacts of tourism. The analysis of the data was carried out through partial least squares on a sample of 420 residents in Punta del Este. The fieldwork was carried out between March and August 2016. The main results of the analysis are as follows: the strongest causal relationship is between residents’ general posture and sun and beach tourism, followed by the causal relationship between general posture and sports tourism. The main conclusion is that a more tourism-friendly posture does not imply greater support for any type of tourism, as is the case in this study with regard to nature tourism. There is an important relationship between general posture and the acceptance of sports tourism, and this implies that by improving residents’ general posture, the enthusiasm for developing sports tourism also increases.