Tourism development induced social change

Abstract

This study reconceptualizes social changes induced by tourism development, where tourism has turned the former Portuguese enclave, Macao, into one of the richest economies in the world. Adopting a constructivist approach, key social issues were identified by collecting related articles from three local news outlets, followed by in-depth interviews with thirty-seven residents of different social strata. Based on the interviewees' detailed articulations of their lifestyles, four patterns of social changes were identified: social trends of early marriage and early childbearing; family relationship deterioration; peer pressure/jealousy, and loss of local/traditional businesses. The findings add knowledge to social change induced by tourism and provide insights for local government seeking to amplify the positive effects and neutralize the negative effects of tourism development.