The Influence of Social Contact in Residents’ Perceptions of the Tourism Impact on Their Quality of Life: A Structural Equation Model

Abstract

This article develops and tests a structural model that illustrates relationships between host–tourist interaction (intensity and satisfaction) and tourism impacts on residents’ Quality of Life (QOL). The model is tested using a survey of residents of two coastal tourism destinations located in the Central Region of Portugal. The results reveal that the social interaction has a significant impact on the resident’s perceptions of the impacts of tourism on their QOL. However, this impact differs according to the domain of the QOL. Moreover, satisfaction with interaction positively influences all domains of QOL and is the construct with the second greatest total effect on the impacts of tourism on residents’ overall QOL. The results highlight the relevance of stimulating a satisfying social interaction between residents and visitors in order to increase the impacts of tourism on residents’ QOL. Theoretical contributions and practical implications are stated based on the results.