The impact of community participation on sustainable tourism development: The mediating role of sustainable tourism management

This study examines the relationships between community participation, sustainable tourism management, and sustainable tourism development. A quantitative research approach was adopted, and data was collected from 146 respondents. The majority of the respondents were male (94.52%), aged 30-40 years (52.74%), had no formal education (86.99%), and worked in agriculture (84.93%). The Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) results confirmed the validity and reliability of the measurement model, with strong model fit indices (/df = 1.795, CFI = .979, IFI = .980, RMSEA = .073). All constructs demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach's > 0.92) and convergent validity (factor loadings > 0.83, AVE > 0.76), with discriminant validity also established. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis revealed that all hypothesized relationships were significant. Community Participation (CP) has a strong, positive, and significant impact on Sustainable Tourism Management (STM) ( = 1.032, p < 0.001) and Sustainable Tourism Development (STD) ( = 0.441, p = 0.001). Additionally, Sustainable Tourism Management (STM) has a positive and significant impact on Sustainable Tourism Development (STD) ( = 0.386, p = 0.002). The model explained a significant portion of the variance in STM (R² = 0.873) and STD (R² = 0.896). These findings suggest that community participation is crucial for effective tourism management, which, in turn, contributes to sustainable tourism development. The study provides important insights for developing sustainable tourism strategies that prioritize community involvement.