Sustainable tourism development in a host community: The mediating role of community resilience in response to disasters and crises

Abstract

Given the increasing risks from disasters and crises, prioritizing resilient and sustainable tourism development has become imperative. Using resilience theory, this research proposed an integrated tourism-community resilience-quality of life (QOL) framework, considering both the recurring major natural hazards and the COVID-19 crisis in a host community. Based on the integrated framework, we tested the individual-level relationships between tourism, community resilience, and QOL. We surveyed 339 residents in Florida, a state which faces high risks from natural hazards and infectious diseases. Findings showed that community resilience significantly mediated the relationship between tourism and QOL and demonstrated the different mediating roles of community resilience by the disaster and crisis. These findings can help community practitioners understand how community resilience functions in the positive and/or negative relationships between tourism and QOL during a disaster/crisis, eventually supporting resilient and sustainable tourism development.