Strategic Design of Experiential Educational Tourism for Environmental Behavior Change: A River Cleanup Program Management Model

Abstract This study aims to develop and validate a strategic management model for educational tourism that promotes pro-environmental behavior among youth. It focuses on how experiential learning and guided engagement can be managed to enhance behavioral outcomes in sustainability education. A quantitative research design was implemented using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Data were collected from 30 high school students who participated in the River Cleanup program, an experiential educational tourism activity integrating environmental storytelling, participatory reflection, and river restoration efforts. Survey instruments measured constructs such as awareness, knowledge, motivation, participation, and behavior. The results confirmed the reliability and validity of the proposed conceptual framework. The model explained 69.5% of the variance in sustainable behavior (R² = 0.695), with strong loadings across awareness, motivation, and participatory constructs. The findings demonstrate that well-managed experiential interventions significantly influence youth’s environmental behavior. This paper bridges tourism, environmental education, and management by presenting an empirically tested framework for organizing educational tourism programs as strategic behavior change interventions. It highlights a novel application of PLS-SEM in evaluating environmental program effectiveness from a management perspective. The study offers practical guidance for managers, educators, and policymakers in designing scalable environmental programs that align educational outcomes with sustainability goals. The model can support scalable strategies aligned with national environmental education initiatives such as Indonesia's Adiwiyata Program.