The impact of tourism supply chain on sustainable performance in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from Tanzania

PurposeThe fast-growth of tourism industry in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has increased supply chain activities that harm the environment. Although there are some studies which have investigated the impact of tourism supply chain on sustainable performance, little is known on the side of SSA. Based on the natural resource-based view (NRBV), this study examines the effects of green purchasing, green packaging and reverse logistics on sustainable performance in SSA.Design/methodology/approachThis study applies the structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the conceptual model based on the data collected in mid of 2020 from 167 firms in tourism industry in Tanzania.FindingsThe results demonstrate that green purchasing (GP) has positive effects on environmental performance (EVP) and social performance (SCP). Green packaging (GPa) has positive effects on EVP but no significant influence on SCP. Also, reverse logistics (RL) has positive effects on SCP but no significant influence on EVP. Besides, both EVP and SCP positively influence ECP and mediate the relationships between GP, GPa and RL with ECP.Originality/valueThis study provides a novel framework in sustainable tourism supply chain literature by empirically investigating the relationship between tourism supply chain practices and sustainable performance in SSA.