Linking sustainable regional tourism planning to tourist satisfaction: a PLS-SEM approach in religious destinations

The objective of the present research is to develop a model for sustainable regional religious tourism in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh with a focus on increasing tourist satisfaction. The study will include four main areas: infrastructure, environment, culture, and local communities. The four areas are necessary to address the problems associated with over-tourism, the strain on resources and services. Data were obtained from 407 individuals using a structured questionnaire. The data were analysed by PLS-SEM. The results show that the development of religious tourism is positively and significantly associated with tourist satisfaction (β = 0.718). Also, the study shows that Sustainable tourism planning was directly associated (β = 0.171) and indirectly associated with tourist satisfaction through religious destination development. The findings of the study demonstrate the importance of planning for the development of religious tourism in a sustainable manner. The study also highlights the need for religious tourism planning to be done in a manner that takes into account the need to protect the environment, preserve cultural authenticity, and improve the visitor experience. The study presents policymakers and those who manage religious tourism destinations with theoretical and practical ways to increase their competitiveness and to achieve sustainable tourism development.