Integrating ESG dimensions through digital technologies for sustainable tourism development: evidence from heritage destinations in Uzbekistan

Introduction Heritage tourism destinations in emerging economies face growing sustainability pressures. This study investigates how Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) dimensions integrated through digital technologies influence sustainable tourism development in Bukhara, a UNESCO World Heritage city in Uzbekistan. Methods Data were collected from 50 purposively sampled tourism stakeholders between September and December 2025 and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) via SmartPLS 4.0. Sample adequacy was confirmed by the 10-times rule, the inverse square root method (minimum n = 45), and G*Power analysis (power = 0.82). Results All three ESG dimensions positively influence sustainable tourism development: Environmental ( β = 0.267, p = 0.014), Social ( β = 0.398, p < 0.001), and Governance ( β = 0.312, p = 0.002). The model explains 58.7% of variance (R 2 = 0.587) with strong predictive relevance (Q 2 = 0.412). Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA) reveals Governance has the highest priority for intervention, exhibiting high importance but the lowest performance score (36.2/100). Discussion The Social dimension demonstrates the strongest influence on sustainable tourism development, while Governance represents the critical bottleneck. These findings offer actionable insights for policymakers in emerging economies on leveraging ESG-oriented digital strategies for heritage destination management.