نقش گردشگری در تاب‌آوری اقتصادی روستاییان (مطالعه موردی: شهرستان اردبیل)

The Role of Tourism in Rural Economic Resilience

(Case Study: Ardabil County)



Vakil Heidari Sareban a , Firouze Oliaei b



a. Associate Professor, Department of Urban and Rural Planning, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.

b. Master of Geography and Rural Planning, Department of Urban and Rural Planning, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.



Extended Abstract

Introduction

Ardabil County has always welcomed tourists from all over Iran and even foreign countries due to its natural and cultural attractions. The villages of this county, with their pristine and beautiful nature, cultural attractions, and pleasant weather, have always witnessed the presence of tourists and nature lovers in these areas in the summer. This is expected to have an impact on the economic and social dimensions of these areas, increasing income in these villages and increasing the resilience of these areas. The resilience of the villages of Ardabil County against economic hardships is an important issue, and failure to pay attention to it will have undesirable consequences, including poverty and migration, the consequences of which will also affect urban areas. In the meantime, tourism can play an important role in the resilience of these areas. For this reason, it is important to examine the role of tourism and the effects it can have in this regard. Because by understanding how social and economic factors are affected by tourism, an important step can be taken in the development of these areas by providing solutions for more appropriate planning. This research aims to investigate the role of tourism on the economic resilience of these regions in order to further explain this issue and to provide suggestions for increasing the role of tourism in the economic resilience of rural areas of the study area. The main question of the research is whether tourism has caused social and economic resilience in the study area?

Methodology

In terms of the divisions made in the research method, the present study is of the applied research type in terms of nature and of the descriptive-analytical method in terms of quantitative research. The data collection method is through a questionnaire and documentary and field methods. For data analysis, Spss software was used and the statistical tests T-one, Pearson correlation, Kruskal-Wallis, one-way variance F and Fisher's test were used.

Results and discussion

In recent years, due to the role of tourism in poverty alleviation, it has been considered an important factor in the transformation and development of rural areas, and since tourism has many advantages compared to other economic sectors, it is considered an economic panacea, an enhancer of livability in rural areas, a stimulant of the revitalization of settlements, an improver of the living conditions of rural communities, and a catalyst for the reconstruction and economic and social development of rural areas. The results of this study also show this, so that it can be acknowledged that tourism has a positive and constructive role in creating economic resilience in the villages of Ardabil city, and with the increase in tourism, the development of infrastructure and the improvement of the transportation system of the studied villages have also increased

Conclusion

In this study, the role of tourism in the economic resilience of the villagers of Ardabil city was examined. Based on the results obtained, the role of tourism in creating economic resilience is evaluated as positive and constructive. So that tourism has led to the development of infrastructure and the improvement of the transportation system of the studied villages. Ali Akbarian (2009) and Khoshrou (2010) have also reached these results in their research in the villages of Esfarayen and Quchan. The high level of people's willingness to invest in the village on the one hand, and the construction of suites, guesthouses, and rental rooms and new shops on the other hand, confirm this issue. The acceleration of the asphalting of the roads in the villages of Gachso and Afratakhte and the significant increase in transportation services in Ziarat and Farsian, along with a special focus on the villages of Radkan and Jahannama, are clear examples of this issue. Also, the perception of the effects of tourism in the villages of Ardabil city has been obtained differently based on the employment status of the residents. In other words, people who were active in jobs related to tourism in the village had a more positive view of this issue. This finding is consistent with the results of the research of Sanagostin et al. (2018) and Ebrahimi and Yaghoubi (2019).

Funding

There is no funding support.

Authors’ Contribution

Authors contributed equally to the conceptualization and writing of the article.

Conflict of Interest

Authors declared no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to all the scientific consultants of this paper.