Assessing the Determinants of Sustainable Local Economic Development (SLED) in Red Sea Island Communities: Insights from a Comparative Stakeholder

Abstract

Island communities face distinctive development challenges due to their geographic isolation, ecological sensitivity, limited infrastructure, and narrow economic bases. These conditions are especially pronounced in Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Islands, where tourism expansion, conservation priorities, and Vision 2030 initiatives are rapidly transforming territorial planning needs. This study investigates the determinants of Sustainable Local Economic Development (SLED) in these Island communities by comparing the perceptions of academic experts and government officials across five domains: economic, environmental, urban/infrastructure, governance and e-governance, and social factors. Using a mixed-methods approach incorporating descriptive statistics, chi-square (χ²) tests, and thematic interpretation, the analysis reveals a multidimensional development landscape marked by strong consensus on environmental fragility and infrastructure deficits, alongside significant divergence in perceptions of governance readiness, human capital capacity, and economic diversification barriers. Environmental protection emerged as the most influential enabling factor, while infrastructure inadequacy and institutional fragmentation were identified as primary constraints. The findings highlight the need for an integrated SLED framework that aligns Blue Economy diversification, resilient infrastructure, adaptive governance, and community capacity-building. This research contributes new empirical evidence for Saudi Island development, refines theoretical applications of LED, TBL, and resilience theory in arid Island contexts, and offers policy directions to support sustainable and inclusive growth in the Red Sea region.