Evaluation of the role of ecotourism houses in the sustainable development of tourism areas in Saman city
Subject Areas : Regional PlanningYousef Ghanbari 1 * , mahshad rikhtegaran 2 , hanieh jahadi 3
1 - Associate Professor of geography and rural planning, Isfahan Universityof Isfahan,Isfahan,
2 - PhD student in Geography and Rural Planning, Faculty of Geographical Sciences and Planning, Isfahan University, Isfahan, Iran
3 - MSc of Geography and Rural Planning, Faculty of Geographical Sciences and Planning, Isfahan University, Isfahan, Iran
Keywords: ecotourism, Sustainable Tourism, Saman City, Ecotourism Houses,
Abstract :
As part of the tourism industry, ecotourism is recognized as an important factor in resource conservation and environmental protection, which simultaneously promotes and develops tourism sustainability and prevents continuous environmental degradation. In this regard, tourism, especially ecotourism, is a new approach that can play a major role in empowering local people and developing human resources, especially women, diversifying the economy and its growth, creating job opportunities, and improving living standards through the provision of social services. The current research has been carried out with the aim of identifying the role of ecotourism houses in the sustainable development of tourism areas in the rural areas of Saman city.The research is applied-developmental in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical in nature. The statistical population of the research is the villages of Saman city, which were selected based on previous studies and experts' criteria. The sample size using Cochran's formula was 337 local residents. The results of one-way analysis of variance, Tukey's test, and T-test showed that between the rural areas of Saman city, in terms of There is a significant difference in the development indicators of eco-friendly houses in all 10 factors, and the studied area has many strengths and potentials in the field of eco-friendly house development, which, if the weaknesses and threats can be reduced, the possibility of creating employment and income for local residents. There will be through the development of eco-tourism houses. The results showed that, for example, Kahkesh village is in a weaker situation in terms of the index of residential and residential usage increase. In the investment increase index, Markede is weak in this field. In the index of service activities and consumption of domestic products, Ilbigi village is in a weak situation.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Ecotourism is an emerging concept in the global market that aims to protect the environment and develop rural communities sustainably. As a valuable branch of nature tourism, ecotourism involves protecting the environment, educating visitors, benefiting society, and improving livelihoods. Planning and developing ecotourism in rural areas, while adhering to sustainable development principles, can transform the economy of low-income rural areas and improve the lives of local communities. Moreover, ecotourism can empower local people, diversify the economy, create job opportunities, and improve living standards through social services. Saman city, located on the banks of the Zainderoud river in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, has the necessary potential for the development of rural tourism. However, the city also faces challenges such as economic and cultural issues, environmental problems, breaking of social ties, overflow of unemployed workers to the outskirts of cities, and the emergence of a poverty belt. In this situation, rural ecotourism can address many issues of Armenian rural communities, develop the area, and provide opportunities to improve people's quality of life while preserving their authentic traditional culture and handicrafts. This can be achieved without the need to migrate to cities for livelihoods and jobs. Currently, more than 1.5 million people visit the natural, historical, and cultural attractions of Saman city every year.The purpose of this research is to evaluate the role of ecotourism residences in the sustainable development of Saman city's rural areas. The research aims to answer the question of whether there is a significant difference between the indicators of ecotourism houses in the sustainable development of the park in the rural areas of Saman city or not, and if so, in which region. The study will investigate the necessary potentials in the field of ecotourism to develop rural areas and create employment opportunities for local residents.
Methodology
The current study employed a descriptive-analytical and survey method to collect information. The required data was obtained through document analysis and field research, including questionnaires and interviews. Preliminary information was gathered through library studies, followed by field studies and surveys to complete the data. The statistical population comprised residents of villages in the city, and a sample of 337 residents from surveyed villages was selected using random cluster sampling. A questionnaire was administered to collect data on indicators of ecotourism houses in sustainable tourism development. Factor analysis was conducted using different indicators such as KMO and Bartlett's test to identify different factors. Each of the factors was then investigated and compared using special and variance explanation percentages. In general, the analysis of variance method was used to investigate significant differences between the regions. This method served as a comparative tool to detect differences in the levels of the study areas with respect to the constituent indices of ecotourism houses. In the final step, the information was analyzed. The statistical population of the study comprised 337 local residents. Data analysis involved using SPSS and Excel software to conduct one-way analysis of variance (F test), Tukey test, and T test to analyze the current and future situations. ARC GIS software was used to generate the required maps.
Results and Discussion
To investigate whether there is a significant difference between the rural areas of Saman city in terms of ecotourism house indicators in sustainable tourism development, a one-way analysis of variance (F test) was used. The results show that there is a significant difference between the investigated areas in several indicators, including service activities, security and lifestyle change, improvement of communication networks and cultural interaction, provision of infrastructure services and facilities, preservation of vegetation and prevention of land use changes, creation of employment and income, improvement of quality of life and provision of services with health standards, increase in investment, environmental pollution, and increase in residential and residential use. The villages are placed in three homogeneous groups in the index of security and lifestyle change, provision of infrastructure services and facilities, improvement of quality of life, and provision of standard health services and environmental pollution. In the index of improvement of communication networks and cultural interaction, the villages are placed in two homogeneous groups, due to the weakness of communication networks in Markdeh village. In the index of maintaining vegetation cover and preventing land use changes, the villages are in two homogeneous groups, and Markdeh village has had problems in the discussion of land use changes. In the indicator of increasing investment, the villages are in two homogeneous groups, and Markadeh village is weak in this field. In the index of service activities and consumption of domestic products, the villages are also in two homogeneous groups, and the village of Ilbeigi is in a weak situation. Finally, the villages are in two homogeneous groups in terms of the employment and income creation index, indicating that they are at the same level in terms of employment and income creation.
Conclusion
The research findings show that there are significant differences between the rural areas of Saman city in terms of eco-tourism house development indicators, including service activities and sales of domestic products, security and lifestyle change, communication networks and cultural interaction, providing infrastructure services and facilities, maintaining vegetation and preventing land use changes, creating employment and income, improving the quality of life and providing services with health standards, increasing investment, environmental pollution and increasing the use of residences and settlements. The study suggests that sustainable tourism development in rural areas requires attention to the environmental and cultural resources of each region and should be planned regionally. The strengths of the region include natural landscapes and suitable weather, and the opportunities include easy access to the region and its location in the country's tourism goals.
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