Tourism Policy and Governance as Mediator of Community-Based Ecotourism and Sustainable Development in Davao del Norte

This study was conducted to determine the mediating effect of tourism policy and governance on the relationship between community-based ecotourism and sustainable development in Davao del Norte. This study employed a quantitative method and used stratified random sampling in selecting the 214 respondents of the study. Using a hybrid data collection, the survey was distributed face-to-face and online to various tourism-related stakeholders in Davao del Norte relevant to the study. The data was analyzed to determine whether the variables had a statistical relationship. Furthermore, community-based ecotourism (CBET) is strongly linked to and substantially impacts sustainable development, as CBET is the best alternative source of sustainable development. In addition, the study also revealed that CBET is significantly related to tourism policy and governance, emphasizing the system of procedures in place to assist tourism stakeholders. Moreover, tourism policy and governance are also significantly associated with sustainable development, as its frameworks will guide the tourism sector to achieve sustainable development. Finally, using the Sobel test, the mediation analysis yielded a z-value of -0.643197 with a p-value of 0.520096, which is not significant at the 0.05 level, indicating no significant mediation. Therefore, the study reveals that community-based ecotourism does not depend on the province's tourism policy and governance to achieve sustainable development.