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Empowering Residents through Tourism Knowledge: A Study on Political Participation and Empowerment

This study explores the relationship between tourism knowledge, political participation, and residents' empowerment in planning for tourism. The findings suggest that knowledge leads to political participation, which in turn leads to empowerment. This research contributes to understanding the process of empowerment in the context of tourism.

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Empowering Residents through Tourism Knowledge: A Study on Political Participation and Empowerment

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  1. DOES TOURISM KNOWLEDGE LEAD TO RESIDENTS’ EMPOWERMENT AND THEIR POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN PLANNING FOR TOURISM? Dongoh (Eric) Joo Kyle M. Woosnam, Ph.D. Marianna Strzelecka, Ph.D.

  2. INTRODUCTION Empowerment • A process where individuals secure greater access to or control over valued resources • Empowerment continuum: Knowledge → Organization → Action → Empowerment • Individuals’ competency and resilience against external threats • Community development: Public health, Catastrophe, Racial zoning, Urban regeneration Empowerment in Tourism • Community based tourism, Sustainable tourism → Conceptual, Qualitative • Residents' Empowerment through Tourism Scale (RETS) (Boley & McGehee, 2014) → Quantitative • Knowledge as the source of empowerment in tourism • “… understanding tourists and tourism processes is the first stage to empowering a tourism community” (Cole, 2006, p. 1) GWTTRA 2018 (Seattle, WA)

  3. INTRODUCTION Research Gap • Lack of quantitative analysis on the empowerment process • Does knowledge leads to participation and empowerment? Then how? • Little research on empowerment in developed nations Research Hypotheses • H1: Knowledge of tourism → Political participation in planning for tourism. • H2: Political participation in planning for tourism → Empowerment. GWTTRA 2018 (Seattle, WA)

  4. METHODS Study Site: Fredericksburg, Texas • 90 mins from Austin and San Antonio • Cultural (Texas German architectures, Oktoberfest) & natural attractions (State park, trails) • Vineyards, wineries, & orchids • Tourism-dependent economy • $26 M in earning / 910 jobs GWTTRA 2018 (Seattle, WA)

  5. METHODS Data collection: Survey using multi-stage cluster sampling • Duration: March - May, 2016 • Survey methods: On-site self-administered at home or business • Sampling methods: Multi-stage cluster (Zones → Streets) • Response %: 58.1% (n = 376) (647 contacted, 482 distributed) • Community life, interaction with visitors, attitudes about tourism & tourism development, life in general, & demographic information • Knowledge of tourism: Single item on a 7-pt Likert scale • Political participation: Behavioral Empowerment Scale (Speer & Peterson, 2000) / Nine items • Empowerment: RETS (Boley & McGehee, 2014) / 12 items across 3 factors Data analysis • Two step SEM in AMOS 23.0 GWTTRA 2018 (Seattle, WA)

  6. RESULTS Sample overview • Demographic • Gender: Female (n = 229, 61.2%) > Male (n = 145, 38.8%) • Age: 54.3 years old • Education: Bachelor’s degree or higher (n = 226, 61.5%) • Income: $ 50K or higher (n = 220, 67.8%) • Length of residence: 19.15 years GWTTRA 2018 (Seattle, WA)

  7. RESULTS • Model fit: CFI = 0.938, RMSEA = 0.084 • H1 = Knowledge of tourism → Political participation in planning for tourism • Β = 0.325, p-value < 0.001, R2 = 0.106 • H2 = Political participation → Empowerment • Psychological empowerment: Β = 0.237, p-value < 0.001, R2 = 0.056 • Social empowerment: Β = 0.266, p-value < 0.001, R2 = 0.071 • Political empowerment: Β = 0.341, p-value < 0.001, R2 = 0.116 • Partial mediation of participation between knowledge and empowerment • Psychological empowerment: Β = 0.193, p-value < 0.001, R2 = 0.035 • Social empowerment: Β = 0.248, p-value < 0.001, R2 = 0.059 • Political empowerment: Β = 0.294, p-value < 0.001, R2 = 0.084 GWTTRA 2018 (Seattle, WA)

  8. CONCLUSION Implications • Theoretical • Quantitative evidence for the links among knowledge, participation, and empowerment • Empowerment process continuum: Supports a link from knowledge through participation to empowerment • Practical • Practitioners should focus on educational means as much as participatory channels. Limitations and Suggestions • Does participation comes before empowerment, or the vise-versa? • Is political participation a uni-dimensional construct? • What if we consider economic aspects? GWTTRA 2018 (Seattle, WA)

  9. Thank you for listening

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