Hojjat Varmazyari; Marzye Fathi; khalil kalantari; Muhammad Asef Shaiq
Abstract
Rural tourism as a global industry has been considered an effective solution for rural development. One of the most important issues in rural tourism is that it is community-based. Community-based tourism aims to create economic benefits and improve the quality of life for the local communities. The ...
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Rural tourism as a global industry has been considered an effective solution for rural development. One of the most important issues in rural tourism is that it is community-based. Community-based tourism aims to create economic benefits and improve the quality of life for the local communities. The first and most important principle in community-based tourism is the participation of all stakeholders in the planning and development process. However, in developing countries, its realization has been faced with problems. This research was conducted to analyze the components of community-based rural tourism development in Marivan and Sarvabad cities.Materials and Methods The statistical population was the villagers over 15 years old (women and men, marginal strata, and local elites) in the villages with high potential for tourism in Marivan and Sarvabad Counties of Kurdistan province. A survey method was used to collect information. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire. In addition to dispersion and centrality statistics, inferential tests of mean comparison and exploratory factor analysis were used to analyze the data.Discussion and ResultsFrom the point of view of different strata of rural society, the most important component of community-based rural tourism development is "inclusiveness and horizontal networking. " In this regard, facilitators and governmental and non-governmental agents of rural tourism should consider a suitable mechanism to strengthen the dialogue and exchange of opinions between the representatives of different sections of the villagers, the participation of the poor sections in the decision-making and planning process, and the division of social responsibilities among the villagers. "Empowerment and strengthening of infrastructures" are the second component that can be effective in developing community-based tourism, especially by creating a sense of collective identity among villagers and education and raising awareness. "Open and demand-oriented innovation" has been the third effective component in developing community-based tourism. In this regard, it is emphasized to use the advice and help of external experts and produce local products based on market needs. The fourth component, "preserving local authenticity," is another important component in developing community-based rural tourism. Strengthening the sense of belonging and employing villagers will preserve and strengthen cultural authenticity and realize the community-based approach. The last extracted component emphasizes profit and fair participation as a condition for realizing the community-based approach in rural tourism development.ConclusionThis study can play a major role in providing correct insight to the authorities on promoting local communities’ participation in the tourism industry and their benefits. Among the solutions that are suggested concerning the topic of the present study is the emphasis on the development of low-cost rural tourism projects, which by providing the gradual and successful entry of marginalized groups into the process of planning and development of rural tourism at the end, lead to the empowerment of the people experiencing poverty and the use of the high potential of rural women.
Ahmad Hajarian
Abstract
Tourism development is increasingly considered essential in promoting economic growth, reducing poverty, and promoting food security. From the sustainable development point of view, tourism is a reliable source in many countries that can have an increasing effect on growing income at the national and ...
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Tourism development is increasingly considered essential in promoting economic growth, reducing poverty, and promoting food security. From the sustainable development point of view, tourism is a reliable source in many countries that can have an increasing effect on growing income at the national and local level, as well as advancing social opportunities and transforming and expanding production while preserving the interests of future generations. In the sustainable livelihood approach, to solve this problem and increase the assets of the local people, the diversification of the economic activities of the villages is emphasized a lot. Because the more diverse the economy of the villages is, by creating more opportunities and taking advantage of the capabilities, the more villagers will have access to the standards of life. With over 22,000 historical and natural buildings and monuments, 1,850 of which have been registered nationally and seven of them globally, Isfahan province is the focus of foreign and domestic tourists. There are over 600 historical monuments in Isfahan province, and more than half are in rural areas. On the other hand, in the past years, with the expansion of communication routes, as well as the increase in trips and the increase in the number of tourists in the rural areas of this province, it has witnessed the development of tourism. However, the question is whether this development is sustainable. Undoubtedly, there are obstacles and challenges facing sustainable tourism on this path, and knowing these obstacles helps the growth and development of sustainable tourism. Therefore, the critical problem of the current research is to identify the obstacles and challenges facing sustainable tourism development in the studied region.Materials and MethodsThe research data has been obtained through semi-structured in-depth targeted interviews with 20 local managers, investors, and local residents with expertise. According to theoretical saturation with deep analysis and the adequacy of the codes acquired and also found, new concepts were used in the subsequent interviews with the help of independent coders. The primary research tool is the interview.Discussion and ResultsThe data obtained from the interviews were analyzed by the thematic analysis method. The main themes were identified to analyze the obstacles and challenges of sustainable rural tourism. Based on the data's thematic analysis, 29 basic concepts have been identified that form the basis of the research model. These concepts were divided into seven categories, including policy, infrastructural, organizational, economic, social, environmental, and physical quality, as organizing themes of the research topic. ConclusionsIn this research, according to the themes extracted, the category of sustainable tourism development is a concept that can cover other categories and has an analysis aspect. The interviewees admitted that if policy obstacles are removed in sustainable tourism development, planning, projects, administrative activities, and so on., they will have successful results, and its positive effects will be manifested. People living in the village who use its resources and their life and ways of livelihood are based on the realities and entities of the place. Therefore, it is inevitable to consider all the effective aspects of sustainable tourism, especially management and marketing and the participation of local communities. Due to the phenomenon of sustainable tourism development, it is considered the primary factor and central core of the theme analysis model.Another point that should be noted is that sustainable tourism development is a multi-stakeholder process that includes all stakeholders. All stakeholders should participate in identifying problems and resources of interest in developing and implementing related plans with strategies that bring social and economic sustainability. With the development of sustainable tourism, one can see its consequences, such as "reducing the migration of local people to the city," "empowering local people," "reducing social harm," and "increasing the level of participation and sense of responsibility and cooperation among residents." "Improving the educational situation," "Improving the population structure," "Reducing the dependence of local people on credits and facilities and government assistance such as subsidies," "Upgrading the infrastructure of tourism and tourism industry," "Rural growth and development," "Improving livelihood local people," "Increasing the quality of products," "Improving economic well-being" and "Moving on the path of sustainable development."
