اثرسنجی اقامتگاه‌های بوم‌گردی بر توسعه روستایی و ابعاد زندگی روستاییان (مورد مطالعه: اقامتگاه‌های سن ایک و گیسو بانو در روستاهای رباط ترک و کهک)

1. Introduction

Eco-lodges have become popular in the rural tourism sector of the country in past decade. Eco-lodges, as an important service component in ecotourism, have a significant impact on tourism development, and this topic is very prominent in untouched areas and pristine nature. Types of cottages or local residences, guesthouses, ecologes, traditional houses, and traditional hotels are all considered subcategories of eco-lodges. Eco-lodges are one of small tourism businesses based on spatial, cultural, and social characteristics of destination, such as handicrafts, food, local culture, etc. San Ik lodges in the village of Kahak and Gisou Banou in the village of Robate Tork in Delijan County are examples of them. The creation of ecotourism lodges has multidimensional goals, including the participation of the local community, the promotion of sustainable tourism, increasing the length of stay of tourists, and access to tourism services in all seasons. Ecotourism, by wisely utilizing natural resources and environment, plays a significant role in the economic and social empowerment of local residents. The development of these lodges can be a stimulus for comprehensive progress of the region, the effects of which are visible in economic, social, cultural, environmental, and physical dimensions. Accordingly, this study, considering the role of sustainable tourism activities and the place of ecotourism in rural development, as well as its multidimensional effects, attempted to examine the villagers' views and attitudes towards ecotourism, and to evaluate the role and effects of establishing San Ik and Gisou banou ecotourism resorts in sustainable development of rural tourism in the villages of Kahak and Robate Tork, in Delijan County.



2. Methodology

The present research is of an applied type and its methodology is analytical and survey. The research area was the villages of Kahak and Robate Tork and the time period was 1403 and 1404. To conduct the research, first, by reviewing previous studies and theoretical foundations by referring to written sources, the components of evaluating the effects of ecotourism resorts on the development of rural tourism were extracted. Then, the data collection tool, namely the researcher-made questionnaire, was designed and compiled in two general parts. The general part of the questionnaire is for collecting demographic information of the statistical community such as age, gender and education, and its specialized part, which forms the core of the research, measures the effects of resorts on the development of rural tourism. After compiling the questionnaire, its face validity was confirmed by experts and its reliability was measured using the Cronbach's alpha test. The total Cronbach's alpha value was 0.854, which indicates the high reliability of the research tool.

The statistical population of the study included all residents over 20 years of age in the villages of Kahak and Robate Tork who were directly associated with ecotourism resorts. Therefore, the sample size was determined using the Morgan table, 52 people, and the available random sampling method was used. Finally, descriptive statistics methods such as frequency, mean, and standard deviation were used to summarize the data, and inferential statistics including independent t-tests to compare means and structural equation modeling to examine causal relationships between latent and observed variables were used to analyze the data.



3. Findings

The results showed that the establishment of ecotourism resorts and the presence of tourists in the study villages led to employment generation, improvement of the living standards of the local community, poverty reduction, product marketing (economic), preservation of indigenous customs and traditions, reduction of migration, increased security (social-cultural), protection of the natural environment and historical heritage, improvement of health and reduction of pollution (environment), beautification of homes and streets, preservation of historical buildings, development of communication services (physical-architectural), increased participation of the people in management plans and decision-making (policy-making), implementation of management plans and environmental regulations, education of the host community and tourists, waste disposal management, and compliance with carrying capacity laws (management).

The results of the t-test of the evaluated components showed that the significance level for all items is less than 0.001. Therefore, all items are suitable for measuring the selected indicators. Meanwhile, in economic index, items of the impact of residences on employment generation and access to residence are the most important and influential variables with the maximum t-statistic value of 24.07 and 19.37 and the minimum standard error of 0.147 and 0.175, respectively. In the environmental index, the items of the impact of accommodations on the display of wildlife and native plants of region in a natural or photographic form and protection of basic resources and attractions are the most important variables, with the maximum t-statistic value of 26.35 and 20.75 and the minimum standard error of 0.146 and 0.162, respectively. In socio-cultural index, the items of the impact of ecotourism resorts on promoting and disseminating local culture and the impact of resort on village security are the most effective for the presence of travelers and tourists, with a maximum t-statistic of 31.30 and 30.78 and a minimum standard error of 0.124 and 0.131, respectively. In the physical-architectural index, the items of the impact of ecotourism residences on the beautification of streets and the quality of village lighting are the most important variables, with a maximum t-statistic value of 40.07 and a minimum standard error of 0.105 and 0.116, respectively. In the management index, the items of tourist presence proportional to the carrying capacity and use of resources, and implementation of management programs and environmental regulations are the most important variables with the maximum t-statistics of 24.12 and 22.46 and the minimum standard errors of 0.134 and 0.154, respectively. In the policy-making index, the items of the impact of local people's participation in environmental protection and the participation of the local community in providing accommodation services to tourists are the most important variables, with the maximum t-statistics of 24.98 and 23.07 and minimum standard errors of 0.139 and 0.149, respectively.



4. Discussion and Conclusion

development of ecotourism resorts plays a vital and multidimensional role in achieving sustainable rural development. The results of the present study in the villages of Kakhak and Robate Tork are evidence that ecotourism can act as an economic driver. Objective evidence clearly shows the effectiveness of this strategy in creating employment, increasing income, and reducing poverty. Beyond the economic dimensions, these resorts were a platform for socio-cultural development. They contributed significantly to strengthening the social foundations of local communities by encouraging the preservation of local customs and traditions, reducing migration, and increasing security. From an environmental perspective, the results also indicate the role of these resorts in protecting nature and historical heritage, improving health, and reducing pollution. Also, physical-architectural effects, such as paying attention to beautifying and preserving historical buildings, and management effects through increasing local participation in decision-making, are other important achievements of this study. Finally, in this study, the influential factors of ecotourism resorts on rural tourism development were prioritized based on the level of impact and the score received. This prioritization helps managers and planners to focus on the most effective factors. It can also be the basis for future measures to strengthen the role of these resorts in the sustainable development of rural tourism and play an effective role in promoting the development of rural tourism in the study area.