تحلیلی بر اثرات بوم گردی بر توانمندی نواحی روستایی مطالعه موردی: شهرستان کرمان

A B S T R A C T
Currently, empowering villagers is one of the goals of rural tourism, and if the government cannot strengthen residents in this field, ecotourism development will not be achieved. Therefore, the main goal of this research is to analyze the effects of ecotourism on the empowerment of rural areas of Kerman. This research was conducted using a descriptive-analytical method and is an applied research type. Documentary studies and survey methods were used to collect the required information, and finally, data analysis was carried out using PLS Smart software. According to the studies, out of 521 inhabited villages in Kerman city, 27 tourist-friendly villages with ecotourism accommodations were selected as the statistical population. The Cochran formula was used to determine the sample size. Therefore, 380 researcher-made questionnaires with 75 questions were prepared, whose validity was confirmed by its face and structural method in the field of social and economic empowerment with a coefficient of 0.895 and its reliability with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.853. Due to the limited space for calculations, the questions were computed in SPSS software and reduced to 24 items, then to PLS Smart software. The results of the research showed that the impact of social empowerment on ecotourism development with a factor loading of 0.755 a t value of 298.14 an effectiveness rate of 0.426 and an overall fit of 0.482 ranked second after economic empowerment with a factor loading of 0.928 and a t value of 0.529 and an effectiveness rate of 0.524. In other words, ecotourism development has been effective in the two dimensions of economic and social empowerment. Therefore, given that the figures are close to each other, more effort should be made to provide infrastructure to strengthen this dimension of empowerment.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
The role of skilled and efficient human resources in achieving organizational goals is undeniable. There is no doubt that a country's national wealth—more accurately, its human capital—is manifested through its skills, organizations, and motivations. Managers must correctly identify the motivational factors that drive human resources and strive to align this potential with organizational objectives. Developed human resources are a key factor and a prerequisite for achieving sustainable rural development, and without the process of empowerment, achieving development goals is impossible. One important activity that can significantly contribute to the empowerment of rural communities is ecotourism. Studies have shown that ecotourism can have considerable impacts on the social and economic empowerment of rural areas. In Kerman County, research indicates that the development of ecotourism has positively influenced both economic and social empowerment. Key aspects of these impacts include:

Social empowerment: Enhancing social interactions, preserving local culture, and fostering a sense of belonging among villagers.
Economic empowerment: Creating new job opportunities, increasing household incomes, and developing tourism infrastructure.
Given these considerations, the aim of this study is to analyze the effects of ecotourism development on the empowerment of rural residents in Kerman County.

 
Methodology
This study employs a research method that is both applied in its aim and descriptive-analytical in nature. Based on prior studies, among the 521 inhabited villages in Kerman County, 27 tourism-oriented villages with ecotourism accommodations were selected as the statistical population. Cochran’s formula was used to determine the sample size, resulting in 380 researcher-designed questionnaires with 75 questions. Face validity was confirmed, and the structural reliability of the questionnaire was verified with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.853 for both economic and social empowerment dimensions. Due to space limitations in data analysis, the questions were reduced to 24 items and processed using SPSS, and later transferred to Smart PLS software. The primary goal of the confirmatory factor analysis (Smart-PLS) was to determine the extent to which the predefined factor model fits the observed data. In essence, this method tests the alignment between theoretical constructs and empirical measurements.
 
Results and discussion
According to the findings, ecotourism can significantly impact the economic and social empowerment of rural areas. In Kerman County, the development of ecotourism has proven to be effective in both dimensions. Social empowerment includes improved social interactions, cultural preservation, and a strengthened sense of community, while economic empowerment encompasses job creation, increased household income, and enhanced tourism infrastructure. Data were collected through surveys and interviews and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results showed that ecotourism generally had a positive impact in both dimensions, though the extent of influence varied among different components. Most observed factor loadings were greater than 0.60, indicating a strong correlation between observed and latent variables.
 
Conclusion
Final results from the model fitting indicate that ecotourism development was successful in promoting economic empowerment (0.582) and social empowerment (0.372) in rural areas, having a meaningful impact on rural development. However, efforts should be made to improve social and cultural infrastructure to further harmonize the model's indices. These findings align with those of Hung et al. (2023) on the determinants of sustainable ecotourism based on international standards; Tiwari (2022) on the potential benefits of ecotourism and livelihood improvement; Adi Wijaya (2020) on community empowerment through rural tourism potential; Abbasi et al. (2022) on rural ecotourism entrepreneurship development models; and Parchakani & Azizi (2019) on the role of women's empowerment in ecotourism development.
 
Funding
There is no funding support.
 
Authors’ Contribution
Authors contributed equally to the conceptualization and writing of the article. All of the authors approved thecontent of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work declaration of competing interest none.
 
Conflict of Interest
Authors declared no conflict of interest.
 
Acknowledgments
 We are grateful to all the scientific consultants of this paper.