Exploring Local Communities’ Attitude Towards Sustainable Tourism Development Using SUS-TAS
Mussina K. Seidualin D. Mukanov A. Mutaliyeva L. Podsukhina O.
January 2025International Information and Engineering Technology Association
International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning
2025#20Issue 1209 - 216 pp.
The study focuses on examining a set of factors that influence the attitude of the local community for the development of ecotourism in Ulytau National Natural Park. During the research, both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed, which included surveying residents of the Ulytau region from November to December 2023. The statistical package SMART-PLS 4.0 was used to analyze 389 valid responses and test formulated hypotheses. Furthermore, the Sustainable Tourism Attitudes Scale (SUS-TAS) was used to design questionnaire and examine residents’ attitudes toward ecotourism development in the region. Based on structural equation modelling (SEM), the research findings revealed that maximizing local community participation, long-time planning, perceived self-benefits, sense of place, ensuring environmental sustainability, and promoting a community-centered economy directly and positively impact residents’ support for ecotourism development in the region. Conversely, negative perception of the social impact associated with tourism development has a detrimental effect. Notably, the sense of place and the establishment of a community-centered economy were identified as the major factors in supporting the sustainable ecotourism development. Overall, local community expresses a positive attitude towards ecotourism development, particularly with regards of environmental sustainability, resource preservation, and conservation. Yet, concerns persist regarding the social costs of tourism development in the studied area.
central Asia , ecotourism , Kazakhstan , local community , structural equation modelling , tourism development , Ulytau region
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Tourism Department, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Astana, 010000, Kazakhstan
Tourism Department
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