Local tourist intentions towards community-based tourism in Kota Belud, Sabah: a theory of planned behaviour approach with social media as a moderator.

This research focuses on community-based tourism (CBT), one of the key drivers toward sustainable rural development that offers local economic and cultural benefits. It explores the factors that influence local tourists' intentions toward visiting CBT destinations using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), which consists of three major aspects: attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control, while also integrating social media usage as a moderating effect within the rural tourism context of Kota Belud, Sabah. A quantitative approach was employed using a structured survey based on validated TPB frameworks. The survey captured the TPB aspects and social media usage on a 5-point Likert scale. Data were collected from 261 respondents via convenience sampling, achieving a response rate of 74.6%. Reliability was confirmed via a pilot test with Cronbach's alpha values exceeding 0.70. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze TPB relationships and moderating effects. Perceived behavioural control was statistically observed to be the strongest predictor of behavioural intention, indicating the importance of logistical convenience.