The role of linking engagement of informal leaders to ecological impact in sustainable tourism development: introducing group efficacy as a mediating variable

Abstract

AbstractThis study explores the role of linkingengagement (LE) of informal leaders to the positive and negative ecological impacts of coastal and maritime tourism on the sustainable development of tourism, using group efficacy (GE) as a mediating variable. The study was conducted in one of Indonesia’s provincial capital cities. Questionnaires were distributed and collected directly from 120 informal leaders, consisting of 40 spirituals, cultural, and intellectual leaders. SEM-PLS was applied to evaluate the research model, and SmartPLS software was used to analyze the data within the framework of the survey, both as an exploratory factor analysis and a structural equation modeling assessment. The findings show that first, the LE and GE of informal leaders had a significant effect on both the positive and negative impacts of ecological factors on sustainable tourism development (STD). Second, GE can mediate the LE informal leaders to the positive and negative effects of the variables of STD. The mediating type was complementary, in which GE had significant effects on the positive and negative ecological effects.

Keywords

• Minangkabau informal leaders
• group efficacy
• social capital
• sustainable tourism development
• coastal & marine tourism
• Pier Luigi Sacco, Humanities, IULM University, Milano, Italy