The Impact of Total Quality Management on Sustainable Tourism Development in the Chengdu-Chongqing Urban Agglomeration

Abstract

Sustainable Tourism Development (STD), a key element of the circular economy, has attracted significant attention from government agencies as well as the academic community. This study combines bibliometric analysis, interviews, and survey data to evaluate the impact of Total Quality Management (TQM) on STD using a multidimensional framework. Through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), the research focuses on developing and validating a comprehensive TQM-STD measurement scale. The resulting framework encompasses four key dimensions: Total Quality Management (TQM), Perceived Tourism Quality (PTQ), Tourism Benefits (TB), and Sustainable Tourism Development (STD), comprising 39 items that assess these aspects. TQM is further broken down into three key variables: Full Participation (FP), Whole Process Management (WPM), and Comprehensive Management (CM). This system serves as an effective tool for measuring the factors that influence STD, while also offering practical recommendations for its implementation. Using the Chongqing Urban Area (CUA) as a case study, a structural equation model (SEM) was developed to empirically investigate the impact of TQM on STD. The findings reveal that: 1) efficient data collection, both online and offline, produces high reliability and validity in the measurement scales, making them broadly applicable, 2) the SEM demonstrates a strong model fit, confirming the hypotheses and extending the applicability of TQM to STD and 3) TQM positively influences and supports the promotion of sustainable tourism development, offering valuable insights for managing sustainable tourism efforts.