Purpose This paper aims to investigate residents’ perceptions of tourism’s impact on their support for tourism development in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires from Abu Dhabi residents (n = 407), who represented 30 nationalities residing in the emirate. Based on social exchange theory, structural equation modeling was used to test hypotheses. Findings Results suggest that Abu Dhabi residents perceive the impacts of tourism positively and are more sensitive to the environmental and economic influences of tourism than the social and cultural influences. Research limitations/implications This study was limited to Abu Dhabi residents; findings cannot be generalized to other emirates in the UAE, or other countries. Originality/value This study adds value to extant tourism literature by investigating residents’ perceptions of the influence of tourism in one of the richest cities worldwide, which aspires to be one of the fastest growing tourism destinations in the Middle East.

Purpose The purpose of this paper id to investigate the influence of nationality on residents’ perceptions of the impacts of tourism, and their support for tourism development, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from self-administered questionnaires from 407 residents, representing 30 nationalities residing in Abu Dhabi. Findings The findings suggest differences in perceptions of the impacts of tourism between national and expatriate residents. Despite these differences, both groups reported support of tourism development. Research limitations/implications This paper groups residents into only two groups – nationals and expatriates – which limits the explanation of findings. Tourism officials should customize strategies to reach targeted group of residents. Originality/value Extant literature examines residents’ perceptions of the impacts of tourism in homogenous groups, and little research explores the influence of nationality on residents’ perceptions. This study is the first to be conducted in Abu Dhabi – where more than 80 per cent of the population is comprised of expatriates – that identifies differences in perceptions between national and expatriate residents regarding tourism’s impacts.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate residents' perceptions of tourism impacts and whether nationality moderates the relationship between these perceptions and support for tourism development in the UAE. Using data collected from 979 respondents from the UAE, a questionnaire assessed the moderating effect of nationality on residents' perceptions of the social, cultural, environmental, and economic impacts of tourism. Social exchange theory is used as a theoretical framework for this study because it considers the heterogeneity of a community and explains the different perceptions held within it. The findings of this study show that nationality moderates the relationship between residents' perceptions of the impacts of tourism and their support for tourism development in the UAE. Specifically, nationality moderates the relationship between residents' perceptions of negative social impacts, positive cultural impacts, and negative and positive economic impacts and their support for tourism development. This study can assist tourism officials in the UAE in developing strategies that consider the diversity of a community with respect to the nationality of its residents.