Though the tourism literature has experienced no shortage of research surrounding residents’ attitudinal support for tourism and tourism development, seldom has work focused on behavioral intentions of support, especially taking into consideration residents’ perceived relationship with tourists. That said, the aim of this study is to formulate a model that incorporates emotional solidarity and theory of planned behavior constructs to gauge residents’ behavioral intentions to support tourism. To test proposed model relationships between emotional solidarity, attitudinal support for tourism, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, and behavioral intentions to support, data was collected from 740 residents of the widely-popular Mediterranean destination, Izmir (Turkey), and analyzed via structural equation modelling. Results revealed that each of the six proposed hypotheses were supported in the theoretical model. The three factors of emotional solidarity (i.e., welcoming nature, sympathetic understanding, and emotional closeness) uniquely explained 45% (R²_SMC = 0.45) of the variance in attitudinal support for tourism. In turn, attitudinal support, along with perceived behavioral control and subjective norms, explained 42% (R²_SMC = 0.42) of the variance in behavioral intentions to support tourism within Izmir. Implications for theory and practice along with limitations and future research opportunities are discussed at the close of the paper.

A plethora of research has concentrated on residents’ degree of support for tourism, albeit focused squarely on either attitudinal or intentional support, and with minimal consideration of how residents’ perceived relationships with tourists may explain support. The focus of this article is therefore to examine a complementary framework linking the theoretical framework of emotional solidarity with the theory of planned behavior to explain residents’ behavioral support for tourism. On-site survey data were collected from 740 residents of the highly popular coastal destination, Izmir, Turkey, to test the proposed model. Of the nine hypotheses examined, eight were supported. Emotional solidarity, attitudinal support for tourism, attitudinal contributions to community, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms collectively explained 42% of the variance in residents’ behavioral intentions to support tourism. Behavioral intentions, in turn, uniquely explained 23% of the variance in residents’ behavioral support for tourism. Study implications, limitations, and future research suggestions are offered.

As the body of work concerning emotional solidarity between residents and tourists continues to grow within the tourism literature, little focus has been placed on how the setting factors into such relationships. Using the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove (a UNESCO World Heritage Site in southwestern Nigeria) as a study site, this research examines the role visitors’ attachment to the place plays in explaining their perceived solidarity with area residents. From confirmatory factor analysis, a measurement model was established, which revealed strong psychometric properties for the two place attachment factors (i.e., place identity and place dependence) and the three emotional solidarity factors (i.e., feeling welcomed, emotional closeness, and sympathetic understanding). Structural equation modeling demonstrated that each of the place attachment factors explained a high degree of variance (e.g., R²ranging between 45% and 54%) in visitors’ emotional solidarity with residents. Implications and future research opportunities are offered within the close of the article.