Tourism planning
Seyed Mostafa Kazemi; Laleh Salehi; Feyzallah Monavvarifard
Abstract
Responsible tourism is an effective strategy for achieving sustainable development goals, reducing poverty, and ultimately improving the quality of life for residents in rural areas. However, the various aspects of responsible tourism may have varying effects on residents’ quality of life, a topic ...
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Responsible tourism is an effective strategy for achieving sustainable development goals, reducing poverty, and ultimately improving the quality of life for residents in rural areas. However, the various aspects of responsible tourism may have varying effects on residents’ quality of life, a topic that has received limited research attention. This study investigates the relationship between key dimensions of responsible tourism (i.e., economic, social, and environmental) and various aspects of residents’ quality of life (i.e., economy, well-being, social cohesion, and environmental satisfaction) in rural tourist destinations within Khorramabad County (population: 20,750). Power analysis using linear regression with three independent variables and an estimated power of 0.98 determined a sample size of 254 residents. The sample was selected through proportional cluster sampling from two rural districts, “Markazi” and “Papi.” Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire, and its validity and reliability were confirmed using Cronbach's alpha, average variance extracted (AVE), and composite reliability. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27 and Smart-PLS 4.01. The findings revealed that the three dimensions of responsible tourism have different effects on various aspects of residents’ quality of life in tourism destinations. Specifically, the physical quality of life was positively and significantly influenced only by the economic responsibility of tourists (γ=0.853; P-value=0.00), while the social (γ=0.027; P-value=0.49) and environmental (γ=0.090; P-value=0.07) dimensions did not have a significant impact. Ultimately, the results of the study provide an empirically controlled framework for rural development planning through the promotion of responsible tourism.
