Residents' ethnic attitudes and support for ethnic neighborhood tourism: The case of a Brazilian town in Japan

•EFA revealed that Ethnic Attitude scale has two dimensions, consistent with a previous study.•Residents' ethnic attitudes can predict their attitudes towards the ethnic neighborhood tourism.•Residents' socio-demographic factors can predict their attitudes towards the ethnic neighborhood tourism.•Residents' residential factors can predict their attitudes towards the ethnic neighborhood tourism.

Studies on residents' perceptions toward ethnic neighborhood tourism have primarily been conducted from the perspective of minority residents whose culture is represented to tourists. This study explored perceptions of Japanese residents living in a Brazilian neighborhood in Gunma, Japan, toward ethnic neighborhood tourism focusing on Brazilian culture. The research examined ways in which residents' ethnic attitudes towards Brazilians influence the same residents' level of support for this unique form of tourism. A survey of 456 households revealed that those who had positive attitudes towards Brazilians perceived ethnic neighborhood tourism as an opportunity to employ, involve and interact with Brazilian neighbors in town. The results also indicated that socio-demographic and residential factors influenced individuals' perceptions about ethnic neighborhood tourism.