Place Attachment and Ethnic Minority’s Behavioral Intention towards Cultural Heritage Tourism: A New Measurement Scale

Abstract

Purpose: This study investigated the relationship between Circassian residents' place attachment in Jordan and their willingness to support their cultural heritage as a tourism product. The study also explores the role of perceived tourism contribution in mediating the relationship between place attachment and support for tourism. Research design, data and methodology: Based on environmental psychology studies, the current study provided a new scale of place attachment, including knowledge about general and specific cultural features and sense of community. A questionnaire-based method was distributed to 414 Circassian citizens in Jordan using validated and adapted scales from previous research. Updated scales and pretests were also conducted to measure reliability and validity. Results: The main findings showed that place attachment had no positive effect on residents’ behaviors towards tourism and that the perceived contribution of tourism significantly affected residents' support for tourism. Conclusions: The study contributes by exploring ethnic minorities' cultural identity in developing countries, linking place identity to environmental psychology, and adopting a novel measurement approach. We suggested practical implementations for tourism development planners in Jordan to enhance ethnic tourism marketing. Theoretical gaps were discussed, and recommendations for future studies were suggested accordingly.