Measuring Social Participation in the Development of Tourism Industry (Case Study: Sari City)

Subject Areas : civil programing

Seyed Hassan Rasouli ¹ , Azita Rajabi ² , sadroddin motevalli ³

1 - PhD student in Geography and Urban Planning, Islamic Azad University, Tehran Center Branch, Tehran, Iran
2 - Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran.
3 - Associate Professor Department of Geography,Islamic azad university of Nour Branch

Received: 2023-11-08 Accepted : 2024-06-23 Published : 2024-10-06

Keywords: social participation, tourism, sustainable development, Sari,

Abstract :

Tourism is considered one of the important economic sectors in the world, which is advancing rapidly and has allocated a significant amount of income, employment, and national production to itself, and is considered as an effective source in generating a country's foreign income. People's participation in the development of tourism is part of a global movement, and for this reason, it has been emphasized in global programs such as comprehensive tourism programs, regional and local tourism development with the participation of indigenous people and local communities. The importance of participation in social relationships and connections is such that it can be considered as an essential element of social life that expands cooperation and interaction in various dimensions. This article considers tourism as a service-oriented and human-centered industry, which perceives the constructive role of people in its expansion and development as important. The results and findings of the research indicate that the view of people in the tourism industry should shift from a consumer-oriented perspective to a producer and supplier perspective; also, people in the development of the tourism industry should be involved in decision-making and policymaking in order to consider themselves obligated to participate in the implementation sector and combat potential problems and obstacles. Therefore, considering the various elements and factors of tourism development, proposed solutions have been presented to increase social and popular participation as the focus and indicator of development.