Title: Impact of community participation in enhancing eco-tourism and productivity for sustainable business practices

Authors: Joyant Yosobardhan Sahoo; Pravash Ranjan Mohapatra; Siddharth Misra

Addresses: Management Department, GITA Autonomous College, Bhubaneswar, India ' Management Department, GITA Autonomous College, Bhubaneswar, India ' School of Commerce, XIM University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India

Abstract: The present research explores the effect of community participation towards enhancing ecotourism development and productivity for sustainable business practices in the Indian context. To meet the research objective, the relevant data was collected from 268 tourist respondents who participated in the opinion survey. The empirical results based on structural equation modelling reveals positive and significant links between the models constructs. Also, the findings affirm the mediating role of eco-tourism development in the path from community participation towards sustainability. The findings offer interesting cues to the academicians to extend their understanding regarding the eco-tourism domain. Further, the results provide new insights to tour and travel companies and policymakers to formulate effective development strategies to attract more tourists.

Keywords: community; participation; ecotourism; sustainable practices; productivity.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPQM.2026.152589

International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management, 2026 Vol.47 No.3, pp.348 - 360

Received: 11 Aug 2023
Accepted: 23 Oct 2023
Published online: 30 Mar 2026 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article