Understanding Multi-stakeholder Complexity & Developing a Causal Recipe (fsQCA) for achieving Sustainable Ecotourism

Ecotourism offers several economic, environmental, and cultural benefits; however, even after all these years, achieving ecotourism sustainability is still complex because of multiple stakeholders with diversified interests and influence. This study focused on the multiple stakeholders' complexity and management for achieving sustainable ecotourism in Penang Hill in Malaysia. Understanding the existence of multiple stakeholders with varying interests and their respective power of influence is critical for a tourism destination to be sustainable. This study aimed to create a multi-stakeholder management framework and understand stakeholder management's mediating role toward ecotourism sustainability in Penang Hill. Data were collected from Penang Hill key stakeholders and analyzed using SmartPLS and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA). The findings revealed that stakeholder management plays a significant mediating role in achieving ecotourism sustainability. Stakeholders’ interests and their level of influence should be understood to develop engagement, empowerment, and monitoring strategies for managing stakeholders. Thus, the study contributes by validating the results through symmetric and asymmetric techniques, offering solutions to the emerging issues during the Covid-19 pandemic, and recommending policy changes. Lastly, the study also extends prior literature by displaying the mediating role played by stakeholder management on ecotourism sustainability, comparing indirect and total effects on stakeholder management support for achieving sustainable ecotourism in Penang Hill.