The level of community participation in developing tourism sustainability: impact of locals' perception and opportunity

Sustainable tourism can be achieved through the support and involvement of the local community in the tourist destination. However, power domination and a lack of opportunities impede local community participation. Besides, the practice of government-centric policy in the developing countries has discriminated against locals' interests. The present study aims to shed light on the degree of residents' participation by using the predicting variables of community perception of tourism benefits, costs, and opportunity. The data were gathered from a survey of 89 Lembang residents in Indonesia. Partial least square structural equation modelling was employed. The findings suggest the impact of opportunity and community perception on the four levels of residents' participation in tourism development. Furthermore, this paper discusses several managerial implications for the local government and tourism operators, and it provides the recommendations for future research.