Designg the model of drivers for the development of agricultural tourism with a sustainable development approach (Case of study: Villages of Durood county, Lorestan province)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Master of Business Management: entrepreneurship major, Department of Business Management, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, University of Qom, Qom, Iran

2 Associate Professor of System Management, Department of Business Management, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, University of Qom, Qom, Iran

Abstract

Introduction
Reorganizing the structure of the village based on tourism along with the benefit of the local community can prepare the local communities to accept the flow of tourism. The function of tourism management in this field is income distribution, job creation, as well as education for tourists and locals. In this case, tourism farms and rural activities combine the activities of producing agricultural products and tourism activities, and hence it receives mutual attention from agricultural producers and tourists (Da Liang, 2020). In the past years, Lorestan province has attracted a lot of attention from nature lovers and adventure tourists in the field of valley climbing and waterfall climbing, and this is in the situation that many of its tourism capacities are still unknown. On the other hand, the lack of tourism planning can cause a waste of tourism capacities and the local community not benefiting from its income (Ghorbani et al., 2019). The tourist villages of Durood are no exception to this rule. The villages of Durood city are one of the most important tourism capacities of this city, which, along with other tourist attractions of Lorestan province, can play a significant role in the economic dynamics of this region, but this is due to the lack of systematic tourism planning and, on the other hand, the lack of effective economic marketing activities. Rural tourism in Lorestan and Durood City does not have the necessary dynamics. Iran is one of the first ten countries in the world in terms of (cultural and civilizational) tourism attractions, among the first five countries in the world in terms of diversity (natural environment) of tourism, and among the first three countries in the world in terms of the diversity of handicrafts (Amir Chokhi et al., 2018: 492). Meanwhile, the position of Iran and especially Lorestan province in the tourism market is worrying. Despite its historical, cultural, and natural attractions, Lorestan does not have a share in the benefits of the tourism industry, and so far it has not been able to be on the path of industrialization and growth dynamics following its capacity, which requires comprehensive and detailed planning for the development of tourism (Hakak), Ahmadifard, Habibi, 2019). According to the information and statistics announced by the Iranian Statistics Center, Lorestan province had the highest unemployment rate of 21% in the spring of 2019 compared to other provinces of the country, and this is in the context that the unemployment rate of Lorestan province in the spring of 2018 was 16.9%. Is. Also, the unemployment rate of the population aged 15-24 in rural areas of Lorestan is 16.4% (Iran Statistics Center, 2019). This upward trend can lead to a sharp decrease in the rural population in this province soon when villages are one of the most important tourist attractions of this province. Therefore, the most important goal of the research is to identify and present the model of drivers for the development of agricultural tourism with a sustainable development approach in the villages of Durood county, and the present research seeks to answer the following questions: What are the drivers of agricultural tourism in Drood county? What subsets are each of the drivers identified for agricultural tourism? How are the internal relationships of the drivers of agricultural tourism development? What are the most important drivers of agricultural tourism in Durood county?
 
Methodology
The current research is of a mixed and qualitative-quantitative type, and it is practical in terms of orientation, and based on the purpose of the research, it is of an exploratory type, therefore, it seeks to discover the drivers of agricultural tourism development, and it is single-section in terms of time. Following the research method, the participants as a statistical sample of the research consist of 19 experts in the fields of tourism management, agriculture, and rural development, who were selected by a targeted and Snowball sampling method and according to two quantitative and qualitative parts in two stages in the interview process and they participated in completing the medical report. For data analysis, the thematic analysis technique and DEMATEL technique were used.
 
Findings
Identifying the drivers of agricultural tourism and presenting its model based on DEMATEL calculations is the most important result of this research. The eight driving forces of agricultural tourism in Durood City are intellectual base, economic context, human resources, entrepreneurial competencies, institutional context, tourist attractions, civil welfare facilities, and promotion and development.
 
Discussion and Conclusion
The farms of Durood county with an annual production of nearly seven thousand tons of rice in the whole country are one of the unknown poles of high-quality rice production in Iran, and its farms and the process of harvesting rice alongside the natives are one of the special advantages of agricultural tourism in this city compared to neighboring areas. Durood apricot orchards, as one of the largest apricot production farms in Iran, along with cherry orchards, wheat and rapeseed farms, and accommodation capacity suitable for welcoming tourists, are also among other agricultural tourism landmarks. Identifying the drivers of agricultural tourism to accelerate the development of this branch of tourism is one of the first steps to organizing activities related to this field, which can prevent the waste of time and necessary resources.

Keywords

References

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Village and Space Sustainable Development
Volume 5, Issue 3 - Serial Number 19
October 2024
Pages 78-103

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