Impact of non-economic factors on residents’ support for sustainable tourism development in Langkawi Island, Malaysia

Abstract

This study offers a structural model based on the social exchange theory (SET) and bottom-up spillover theory. The model presents a discussion on the relationships among non-economic factors including perceived sociocultural and environmental impacts of tourism, satisfaction with the way of life and recreation amenities domains, overall quality of life satisfaction and residents support for sustainable tourism development (SSTD) This study uses self-administered survey and employs structural equation modeling (SEM) approach, using the sample of 542 local residents in six different districts of Langkawi Island, Malaysia. The findings reveal that perceived environmental impacts of tourism as a non-economic factor did not influence the domain of residents’ way of life, while it had a significant impact on the domain of recreation amenities. Moreover, perceived sociocultural impacts of tourism influenced both residents’ satisfaction with the way of life and recreation amenities life domains, which in turn affected overall quality of life satisfaction. Finally, overall quality of life satisfaction significantly influenced the residents’ ultimate SSTD. Theoretical contributions of this research along with practical implications are also discussed.