<![CDATA[Sustainable tourism can contribute to regional development when environmental responsibility, community participation, hospitality performance, and economic benefits are managed within an integrated framework. This study develops and empirically examines a Hospitality-Based Sustainable Tourism Model that explains how Sustainable Tourism Practices contribute to Regional Development Performance through Hospitality Competitiveness in selected tourism destinations in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The study employed a quantitative cross-sectional design involving tourism stakeholders representing hospitality businesses, tourism operators, government agencies, local communities, and tourism organizations. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The measurement and structural models were evaluated through instrument validity and reliability assessment, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and mediation analysis using a bootstrapping procedure. The findings confirm that Sustainable Tourism Practices strengthen Hospitality Competitiveness and contribute positively to Regional Development Performance. Hospitality Competitiveness also enhances Regional Development Performance and partially mediates the relationship between sustainable tourism practices and regional development. These results indicate that sustainability-oriented tourism generates stronger regional benefits when environmental stewardship, community involvement, cultural preservation, and responsible governance are translated into competitive hospitality services, workforce capability, innovation, destination image, and visitor value. Tourism sustainability and hospitality competitiveness should be managed as interconnected regional development priorities rather than as separate policy agendas. This study integrates sustainable tourism, hospitality competitiveness, and regional development into a unified empirical model, highlighting hospitality competitiveness as an important mechanism through which sustainability practices are translated into broader regional development outcomes.]]>
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