Innovative application of total quality management in sustainable tourism development: framework development and empirical analysis
Abstract Most existing studies on sustainable tourism development (STD) focus on resource protection, with limited progress in management methods, particularly in evaluation and measurement systems. This study integrates literature reviews, interviews, and survey data to establish logical hypotheses...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer Nature
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05139-6 |
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| author | Xiangdong Kong Haijun Wang Yijun Chen Ji Luo Tianhui Xie Minghong Peng Maobin Ding Xinlong Li Hu Li |
| author_facet | Xiangdong Kong Haijun Wang Yijun Chen Ji Luo Tianhui Xie Minghong Peng Maobin Ding Xinlong Li Hu Li |
| author_sort | Xiangdong Kong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Most existing studies on sustainable tourism development (STD) focus on resource protection, with limited progress in management methods, particularly in evaluation and measurement systems. This study integrates literature reviews, interviews, and survey data to establish logical hypotheses between total quality management (TQM) and STD. A TQM-STD scale was developed and empirically tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). The key findings are as follows: (1) A five-dimensional scale (Full participation-FP, Whole participation management-WPM, Comprehensive management-CM, Overall perception-OP, Tourism benefits-TB) with 30 items was constructed, demonstrating strong reliability (Cronbach’s alpha >0.8), validity (validity >0.7, average variance extracted >0.5, composite reliability >0.7), and broad applicability. (2) An SEM model was established based on the logical relationships between TQM and STD. The model exhibited a good fit (χ²/df >1.2, incremental fit index >0.9), supporting the proposed hypotheses and confirming the applicability of TQM to STD management at tourist attractions. (3) TQM positively influences STD. At p < 0.001, the three TQM dimensions ranked by their impact on STD are FP at 0.34, WPM at 0.28, and CM at 0.26. FP directly contributes to STD (55.1% variance explained), while WPM and CM exert indirect effects through TB and OP, explaining 57.6% and 62.7% of the variance, respectively. (4) This study highlights the practical implications of innovatively introducing TQM from the industrial manufacturing sector into STD management, providing a systematic framework for improving management efficiency at tourist attractions. The proposed scale offers actionable insights for policymakers and practitioners to enhance tourism sustainability through evidence-based decision-making. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3e48b160ff4f44ddb680e699bee40fa6 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2662-9992 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Springer Nature |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-3e48b160ff4f44ddb680e699bee40fa62025-08-20T03:46:03ZengSpringer NatureHumanities & Social Sciences Communications2662-99922025-07-0112111610.1057/s41599-025-05139-6Innovative application of total quality management in sustainable tourism development: framework development and empirical analysisXiangdong Kong0Haijun Wang1Yijun Chen2Ji Luo3Tianhui Xie4Minghong Peng5Maobin Ding6Xinlong Li7Hu Li8College of Management Science, Sichuan University of Science and EngineeringSchool of Economics, Sichuan University of Science and EngineeringCollege of Management Science, Sichuan University of Science and EngineeringSchool of Economics, Sichuan University of Science and EngineeringSchool of Economics, Sichuan University of Science and EngineeringSchool of Economics, Sichuan University of Science and EngineeringSchool of Economics, Sichuan University of Science and EngineeringSchool of Economics, Sichuan University of Science and EngineeringSchool of Economics, Sichuan University of Science and EngineeringAbstract Most existing studies on sustainable tourism development (STD) focus on resource protection, with limited progress in management methods, particularly in evaluation and measurement systems. This study integrates literature reviews, interviews, and survey data to establish logical hypotheses between total quality management (TQM) and STD. A TQM-STD scale was developed and empirically tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). The key findings are as follows: (1) A five-dimensional scale (Full participation-FP, Whole participation management-WPM, Comprehensive management-CM, Overall perception-OP, Tourism benefits-TB) with 30 items was constructed, demonstrating strong reliability (Cronbach’s alpha >0.8), validity (validity >0.7, average variance extracted >0.5, composite reliability >0.7), and broad applicability. (2) An SEM model was established based on the logical relationships between TQM and STD. The model exhibited a good fit (χ²/df >1.2, incremental fit index >0.9), supporting the proposed hypotheses and confirming the applicability of TQM to STD management at tourist attractions. (3) TQM positively influences STD. At p < 0.001, the three TQM dimensions ranked by their impact on STD are FP at 0.34, WPM at 0.28, and CM at 0.26. FP directly contributes to STD (55.1% variance explained), while WPM and CM exert indirect effects through TB and OP, explaining 57.6% and 62.7% of the variance, respectively. (4) This study highlights the practical implications of innovatively introducing TQM from the industrial manufacturing sector into STD management, providing a systematic framework for improving management efficiency at tourist attractions. The proposed scale offers actionable insights for policymakers and practitioners to enhance tourism sustainability through evidence-based decision-making.https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05139-6 |
| spellingShingle | Xiangdong Kong Haijun Wang Yijun Chen Ji Luo Tianhui Xie Minghong Peng Maobin Ding Xinlong Li Hu Li Innovative application of total quality management in sustainable tourism development: framework development and empirical analysis Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| title | Innovative application of total quality management in sustainable tourism development: framework development and empirical analysis |
| title_full | Innovative application of total quality management in sustainable tourism development: framework development and empirical analysis |
| title_fullStr | Innovative application of total quality management in sustainable tourism development: framework development and empirical analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Innovative application of total quality management in sustainable tourism development: framework development and empirical analysis |
| title_short | Innovative application of total quality management in sustainable tourism development: framework development and empirical analysis |
| title_sort | innovative application of total quality management in sustainable tourism development framework development and empirical analysis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05139-6 |
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