Many studies have been conducted on resident attitudes toward tourism and tourism development. However, studies focused on the residents' place attachment and perceptions of mega event are still insufficient. Mega events such as World's Fairs and Olym...
Many studies have been conducted on resident attitudes toward tourism and tourism development. However, studies focused on the residents' place attachment and perceptions of mega event are still insufficient. Mega events such as World's Fairs and Olympics can be defined as events which yield extraordinarily high levels of tourism, media coverage, prestige or economic impact for the host community or destination. Since the attitudes of local residents are essential for successful operation of mega events, the main objective of this study is to examine place attachment and perceptions of residents of 2008 Beijing Olympics hosting cities. The definition of mega event and the impacts and influences of mege-events held in China were discussed in the study. The study which based on earlier studies focused on both the positive and the negative of residents' perceptions of economic, social, cultural, environmental and tourist aspects. Data were collected from residents of Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyan, Qingdao which were the Beijing Olympics hosting cities, from September 22 to October 9 after the 2008 Beijing Olympics. A total of 360 useful samples were collected. SPSS 12.0 for windows was used as data analytic tools. Frequency, factor analysis, reliability analysis, ANOVA, regression analysis and t-tests were utilized to analyze the collected data. The finding revealed that the place attachment is likely to influence host community's perception of impacts and their support. This results of the study may aid in the planning of mega event in the future. Theoretical and managerial implications were also discussed in the study.