Through Local Eyes: Dispositional Affect and Perceived Environmental Impact of Foreign Tourism

This study examines how host populations' emotional dispositional state influences perceptions of tourism-induced environmental damage, mediated by perceived intergroup threat and moderated by socio-economic factors. Drawing on dispositional affect theory and integrated threat theory, we used a mixed-methods design. Interviews with host residents (n = 22) explored emotional dispositions and perceived intergroup threat in environmental narratives, an experiment (n = 203) tested these patterns under induced affective states, and a survey of Omani residents (n = 1,265) examined the relationships at the trait level. Findings show that self-assured residents perceive less environmental damage from tourism, whereas self-doubting residents report greater environmental concerns. Income and education serve as socio-economic boundary conditions that moderate the association between dispositional tendencies and perceived intergroup threat, consequently influencing environmental impact perceptions. These results highlight the need to foster positive affect and address socio-economic factors to improve host-tourist dynamics and support environmentally responsible tourism development.