Differential pathways in teachers’ sustainable ecotourism perceptions: a multiple group structural equation modelling approach

This study investigates teachers’ perceptions of sustainable ecotourism in Düzce Province, Türkiye, with particular attention to how environmental perceptions shape evaluations of economic and socio-cultural benefits. Drawing on survey data collected from 320 teachers, the study employs structural equation modeling (SEM) to validate a multidimensional perception framework and to examine the structural relationships among its components. Following confirmatory factor analyses, Multiple Group SEM is applied to assess whether these relationships differ across key socio-demographic groups. The results indicate that perceptions of the environmental dimension of ecotourism constitute the strongest predictor of both perceived economic and socio-cultural benefits. Moreover, the magnitude of these relationships varies systematically by gender, marital status, and teaching level, with female and married teachers exhibiting stronger perception–benefit linkages. These findings underscore the importance of socio-demographic context in shaping sustainability-related attitudes and highlight teachers as influential educational and social intermediaries in the diffusion of ecotourism awareness. By integrating environmental perception theory with Multiple Group SEM, the study contributes to the ecotourism and sustainability education literature and offers policy-relevant insights for the design of education-oriented ecotourism governance, sustainable forest management and planning strategies.