Exploring nature-resident connectedness and resident attitudes towards tourism: Evidence from a coastal destination of Bangladesh

Abstract

Amidst the expanding number of studies advocating for community involvement in tourism governance, limited emphasis has been rendered to comprehending the implications of residents' attachment with nature on their understandings and response towards tourism. This study addresses this gap by assessing the level of nature connectedness among residents and its impact on residents’ views of empowerment from tourism at Cox’s Bazar, a nature-based coastal destination in Bangladesh. Recognizing the significance of this relationship for effective destination management, the research blends the Contributions of Nature to People framework with Weber’s Theory of Formal and Substantive Rationality. Although the study shows a partial statistically significant connection between nature connectedness and support for tourism, as well as between economic empowerment and support for tourism in the study area, other areas of empowerment show an insignificant connection to nature, raising concerns about support for tourism and indicating an overall weak connection to nature. While residents are eager to portray Cox's Bazar to tourists, concerns about over-tourism persist, and variations across different parts of the study area reflect distinct characteristics influenced by locational and socioeconomic factors. These findings underscore the necessity of integrating residents' connection to nature into tourism development strategies, prioritizing initiatives that cultivate this bond to foster positive attitudes toward tourism and mitigate conflicts.