Rural Tourism Development: Shifting Basis of Community Solidarity

Community solidarity is considered a definitive quality of many rural towns and one that could be dramatically influenced by accommodating tourism development. Previous research indicates that tourism brings people from different cultural backgrounds into a community. In this exploratory study, evidence indicates that tourism development changes residents' relationships to one another and to their community. Five propositions are discussed concerning the impacts of rural tourism: community diversification, delineation of social boundaries, conformity to an ideal town image, shared image as a source of bond ing, and a shifting basis of community solidarity.