Community Attachment and Attitudes toward Tourism Development

This research examined relationships between tourism attitudes, length of residency, level of tourism development, and feelings of community attachment in the state of Mon-tana. A significant relationship was found between length of residency and attachment, but people living in the communities with higher levels of tourism development have the shortest tenure in their community. The growing interest in tourism as a rural economic devel-opment tool poses a variety of challenging issues and ques-tions to those concerned with revitalization of the nation’s smaller communities (Long 1991; Siehl 1990). Rural eco-nomic development often seeks to achieve a balance between economic diversification and preservation of the life-style qualities sought by many rural residents while enhancing the range of choices available to them (Field 1986). The overall purpose of tourism development should be to enhance the quality of residents ’ lives by addressing the economic, social