Perceived Understanding and Participation of Gated Community in the Green Tourism Model in Kolkata: A Path to Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

Despite the abundance of studies on green tourism, there is a lack of research that focuses on individuals’ perception and commitment to participating in green tourism. This study develops a structural equation model (SEM) to explore the commitment of gated communities to participate in the green tourism model in Kolkata. The model aligns with the sustainability pillars established by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO): socio-cultural and economic perspectives (EC). A total of 276 respondents (of the gated community) were surveyed for this purpose, using a convenient purposive sampling method. Perceived understanding of green tourism is fully mediated by awareness and partially mediated by the economy and socio-cultural perspectives. Perceived understanding of green tourism has a significant direct impact on participation. Perceived risk, on the contrary, has a negative impact on the understanding of green tourism. The model shows excellent reliability, with goodness of fit index (GFI) of 0.987, adjusted goodness of fit index (AGFI) of 0.982, comparative fit index (CFI) of 0.916, Tucker Lewis index (TLI) of 0.899, standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) of 0.055, and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) of 0.045. The study suggests that policymakers should involve local communities in decision-making processes and offer tangible benefits to encourage their participation in sustainable economic growth (SDG 8) and responsible consumption and production (SDG 12). This approach will enhance their dedication to sustainable tourism practices (SDG target 8.9).