Abstract
With the development of the tourism industry, more attention is being given to exploring its impact through the perspective of local communities. Most existing literature on this topic primarily presents findings from developed countries, leaving a gap in understanding the views of locals in developing nations, particularly in the Philippines. The tourism industry was facing significant challenges due to the lack of support from the community. This study was conducted to explore and examine the relationship between the perception of tourism impact and place’s image to community support for tourism development. Utilizing a quantitative descriptive correlation design and area sampling in conjunction with convenience sampling, this study distributed an adapted survey questionnaire to 100 residents of selected municipalities in Cotabato Province. The study’s findings revealed that the resident's support for tourism development is very high, on the other hand, the perception of tourism impact and place’s image as assessed by the residents is high. Furthermore, the perception of tourism impact and place’s image was found to be positively and significantly correlated to community support for tourism development (p<.05). Moreover, regression results revealed that only the perception of tourism impact significantly influenced the community support for tourism development. Findings substantiate the Social Exchange Theory, in which individuals gaining benefits from tourism are more positively disposed and supportive of its development. The results indicate that residents who perceive benefits from tourism are more likely to support its development, aligning with the theory's premise that individuals weigh the costs and benefits of their actions in social interactions. This underscores the importance of managing perceptions and ensuring that residents perceive tangible benefits from tourism initiatives.
