Residents’ Well-Being and Sustainable Governance in Island Tourism: SEM Evidence from Aceh

This study develops and tests an integrated structural equation model linking Butler’s Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC) stages, resident quality of life (QoL), and community participation in sustainable tourism governance (STG) within emerging island destinations in Aceh, Indonesia. Drawing on survey data from 1,266 residents across Weh, Pulo Aceh, and Simeulue islands, we employ confirmatory factor analysis and covariance-based SEM (lavaan in R) to: (1) assess direct effects of key TALC dimensions (e.g., infrastructure, stakeholder involvement, promotional intensity) on residents’ QoL (e.g., safety and security, perceived cultural integrity); (2) examine the impact of residents’ QoL on STG engagement (e.g., public monitoring, policy co-creation, environmental stewardship); and (3) evaluate both direct and mediated pathways linking TALC to governance participation. Findings indicate that advanced TALC stages significantly enhance residents’ QoL (β = 0.211, p < .001) and that residents’ QoL strongly predicts governance engagement (β = 0.312, p < .001), while TALC dimensions also exert a direct positive effect on STG (β = 0.229, p < .001). Mediation analysis confirms that residents’ QoL is a partial mediator (indirect β = 0.066, p < .001), accounting for 22.4% of the total effect of TALC on governance. Multigroup SEM reveals invariance and consistent effect patterns across all three islands. Based on these results, we recommend stage-specific infrastructure investments and participatory platforms to bolster resident well-being and catalyze sustainable governance. This research extends TALC theory into a social-ecological governance framework, offering actionable insights for destination managers seeking to target inclusive and resilient tourism development.