Beyond visitation: community-driven sustainability through responsible tourism in Jammu and Kashmir

This study investigates how responsible tourism practices impact the sustainability of tourist destinations in Jammu and Kashmir, a Union Territory of India, while considering the mediating and moderating role of community participation. We employed a descriptive research design and a positivist approach. Among residents of Gulmarg, Sonamarg, and Pahalgam in Kashmir Valley, India, 432 questionnaires were distributed using convenience sampling, yielding 305 valid responses for analysis. The data were subsequently analyzed, and the proposed hypotheses were tested using the structural equation modeling. The results indicate a strong positive relationship between responsible tourism practices and destination sustainability, underscoring the significant contribution to sustainable destination development. Furthermore, community participation was found to partially mediate and moderate this relationship. These findings offer valuable insights into the efficacy of responsible tourism practices in bolstering destination sustainability, while highlighting the pivotal role of community participation as a mediator and a moderator. The study also offers practical implications for the effective implementation of responsible tourism practices to achieve sustainable destinations.