Exploring the Non-Economic Impacts of Tourism and Hospitality on the Health and Well-Being of Residents

Abstract

Hospitality and tourism activities improve infrastructure, attract domestic and international investment, protect and promote regional cultural assets, and aid the local economy. However, the rapid development of hospitality and tourism can also lead to environmental depletion, cultural erosion, increased cost of living, persistent stress, and economic inequality. Existing literature has emphasized tourism's economic and socio-cultural impacts on residents. Yet research regarding the non-economic impacts on residents remains limited. The study aims to assess hospitality and tourism's non-economic impact on residents' health and well-being. This qualitative study employs content analysis using a two-phase process. In Phase 1, 32 newspaper articles were coded and analyzed. From this, six themes emerged: (i) returning to normalcy, (ii) attitudes toward tourist development, (iii) crisis management approaches, (iv) wellness travel sub-types, (v) traveller coping approaches and (vi) environmental challenges. Each theme relates to three perspectives: residents, guests, and Destination Management Organizations (DMOs). This process was repeated in Phase 2 for comments within the Reddit social media platform, where 66 descriptive codes were grouped into 14 pattern codes based on the context identified from the first phase. Results from the Reddit comments analysis revealed three major discourse themes related to the three perspectives: COVID-19, sustainability, and mental health. This research broadens our understanding of residents’ health and well-being perspectives when designing tourism-related products and activities. Several recommendations for DMOs and tourism service operators are provided, including cultural tourism, visitor dispersion strategies, and eco-friendly tour programs as opportunities to address and overcome the concerns identified through the analysis. Each recommendation encourages stronger ties between DMOs and residents, explicitly focusing on strengthening their attitudes towards tourists, implementing increased safety procedures, and overcoming the adverse effects of over-tourism on residents.