The Role of Educational Institutions in Developing Community Tourism Awareness in the Libyan City of Leptis Magna: "An Analytical and Descriptive Study"

Abstract

This study investigates the pivotal role of educational institutions (schools and universities) in enhancing community tourism awareness in the historic city of Leptis Magna (Al-Khums/Leptis, Libya). The research evaluates how educational curriculum integration, local heritage field trips, and school-community workshops affect three core dimensions: community heritage preservation, local tourism purchasing behavior, and overall visitor satisfaction, while examining the mediating role of cultural experience. A combined descriptive and analytical approach was applied independently. Primary data were collected using a structured, validated questionnaire administered to a purposive sample of 250 respondents, including local students, educators, community residents, and domestic and international tourists visiting Leptis Magna between May and August 2026. Data were analyzed using SPSS v.28 and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) via AMOS v.28. The empirical findings demonstrated a highly significant direct effect of educational tourism initiatives on community engagement and visitor interaction. Structural equation results confirmed that the cultural experience acts as a full mediator between educational awareness programs and sustainable tourist behavior. The path coefficient from educational initiatives to cultural experience reached (β = 0.72, p < 0.001), while the mediated paths toward purchasing behavior (β = 0.68, p < 0.001), length of stay (β = 0.55, p < 0.001), and overall satisfaction (β = 0.61, p < 0.001) were strong and statistically significant. The study concluded with practical recommendations for policymakers to integrate local archaeological heritage into primary and university curricula and build integrated school-community tourism awareness packages.