Young Educated Residents’ Support for Tourism Development in Saudi Arabia: The Mediating Role of Destination Image and National Identity

Understanding residents’ support is essential for the social sustainability of tourism development, particularly in rapidly transforming destinations. Drawing on Social Exchange Theory, Social Identity Theory, and Destination Image Theory, this study proposes a process-oriented model in which perceived economic benefits and environmental concerns influence residents’ Behavioral Intention Support for Tourism through destination image and national identity. Using survey data from 418 young, educated Saudi residents (predominantly undergraduate university students) and structural equation modeling, the findings show that support is driven primarily by indirect pathways rather than direct cost–benefit evaluations. Economic benefits enhance destination image and strengthen national identity, which in turn foster supportive behavioral intentions. Environmental concerns do not directly reduce support; instead, they operate through sustainability-oriented perceptions of destination image and identity. The results extend existing models by showing how young residents’ behavioral intention support for tourism in Saudi Arabia is shaped through a cognitive–identity process in which destination image and national identity translate economic and environmental evaluations into behavioral intention. This framework offers actionable insights for destinations pursuing state-led tourism development.