Unmasking residents’ self-stereotyping of domestic tourists: impacts on emotional solidarity and residents’ behaviours in host–guest relations

Investigating self-stereotyping is vital for understanding in-group dynamics and attitudes, which has been extensively examined in socio-psychology studies. However, in the context of tourism, where increasing conflicts and tensions between residents and domestic tourists have diluted residents’ in-group preferences, this phenomenon has rarely been investigated. To address this limitation, this study integrates Social Identity Theory (SIT) and the ‘Cognition-Affect-Behavior’ model in examining residents’ self-stereotyping towards domestic tourists. Drawing on contemporary measures of tourist stereotypes, emotional solidarity and intergroup behaviours, the findings highlight discrepancies in residents’ attitudes which further induce acts of bias towards domestic tourists. This study adds theoretical insights into residents’ attitudes in tourism settings and offers implications for destination practitioners emphasising the vital role of domestic tourists in fostering social cohesion and community sustainability.