Drawing on social exchange theory and reasoned action theory, this study aims to investigate the relationships among residents' perceptions, community participation, ecotourism development, and sustainable tourism development. The relationships were examined using the serial mediation model of Hayes (2013). Data were collected from the local people living in Hasan Mountain Culture and Tourism Conservation and Development Area (CTCDA) in Aksaray province of Türkiye (N = 568). The findings show that community participation and ecotourism development serially mediate the effects of residents' perceptions on sustainable tourism development. In the light of the findings, positive residents' perceptions establish the eligible conditions for the strong community participation. Enhanced community participation contributes to ecotourism development, and as a result, ecotourism development promotes sustainable tourism development. This study is the first study in the literature that reveals the relationships between residents' perceptions, community participation, ecotourism development, and sustainable tourism development through the serial mediation model. The current study contributes to the literature by addressing the direct and indirect effects of residents' perceptions on sustainable tourism development. We suggest planners in CTCDAs to pay attention to residents' perceptions and community participation as the weakest link during development processes.