A Mediated Moderation Model of Destination Social Responsibility and Residents’ Support for Tourism Development in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Based on stakeholder and social exchange theories, support for tourism development is strongly influenced by destination social responsibility (DSR). Despite the grand intentions, DSR is still being sparingly employed by Saudi destination management, probably because its effects on tourism impacts (economic, socio-cultural and environmental) are still unknown. In the context of Saudi Arabia, this study sought to provide an empirical examination of the relationship between DSR and tourism impacts, which in turn influenced residents’ support for tourism development. The study sample consisted of 452 residents gathered from three main destinations in Saudi Arabia. PLS-SEM was used to analyse the data and test hypotheses. The results indicated a positive relationship between DSR and tourism impacts such as economic, socio-cultural and environmental. Another notable finding was that two tourism impacts mediate the relationship between DSR and support for tourism development. Furthermore, community participation had a statistically significant positive moderating effect on DSR perceptions and support for tourism development. The moderation effect of community participation on this relationship was found to be a theoretical contribution to this study.