Human-centred management processes for sustainable tourism governance in village-based destinations

This study aims to examine how ergonomics-informed, human-centred conditions shape tourism governance effectiveness in village-based destinations, with particular attention to the mediating role of tourism management processes. A mixed-methods approach was adopted. Quantitative data were collected from 260 respondents involved in tourism governance in village destinations in Bali and analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). To support and explain the quantitative findings, confirmatory qualitative interviews were conducted with key tourism governance actors at the village level. The results indicate that systemic, holistic, interdisciplinary, and participatory ergonomics have significant positive effects on tourism management processes. Furthermore, tourism management processes strongly influence governance effectiveness and fully mediate the relationship between ergonomics-informed conditions and governance outcomes. The findings suggest that effective tourism governance in rural destinations depends less on formal institutional structures and more on the quality of everyday management processes that coordinate human actors, organisational arrangements, and working practices. This study contributes to tourism governance literature by integrating a macro-ergonomics perspective and empirically demonstrating tourism management processes as a key mediating mechanism in village-based tourism governance.