Journal of Geographical Studies of Mountainous Areas

Journal of Geographical Studies of Mountainous Areas

Identifying effective conditions in the development of nature-oriented tourism in mountainous areas (Case Study: Neyshabur)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 MSc Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Zabol University, Zabol, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Zabol University, Zabol, Iran.
Abstract
Introduction

Today, the tourism industry is one of the important economic phenomena of the present era, which is considered one of the important sources of economic growth. Among the tourism opportunities, the presence of natural attractions, pristine landscapes and suitable weather strengthens the field for the development of nature-oriented tourism in cities more than other aspects of tourism. It is also estimated; that natural tourism includes approximately 27% of international trips and when properly managed, it can create local employment and local development opportunities and also lead to the preservation of the natural environment, Although it has many negative consequences, including: changes in land use, inflation of local prices, destruction of ancestral lands, changes in values ​​and the spread of anomalies, But it has many positive economic, social and cultural effects that can encourage local people to support its development. Therefore, proper planning in the field of nature-oriented tourism development minimizes the negative effects and improves the conditions of natural resources through investment. The development of nature-based tourism based on the capacity of each region will lead to the sustainable development of tourism. Based on this, it should be kept in mind that the benefits of nature-based tourism development are not the same for everyone and their development is not the only way of economic development of local communities. In this regard, if this development is not managed properly, its negative effects will also increase.
The special geographical conditions, climatic diversity, along with the special topographic situation in Iran indicate unique potentials in the field of nature tourism in the country and this is the fact that tourism in general and natural tourism in particular in the country are not developed. In this regard, the need to pay attention to nature-oriented tourism in Neishabur city is important, because this city, despite having many natural attractions, such as Binaloud, the waterfall, etc., which shows the potential of this region for the development of nature-oriented tourism. It is considered one of the least developed areas of the province, and in the current situation, all the capacities of this area have not been utilized. Based on this, it is necessary and necessary to identify the conditions (causal, contextual and intervening) in the development of nature-oriented tourism, strategies, consequences and obstacles in the direction of the development of this type of tourism. And finally, create a wide range of new employment opportunities for the people of the region and restore the vitality to this region and bring about sustainable development.
Therefore, the current research was conducted with the aim of identifying effective conditions in the development of nature-oriented tourism in the Neishabur.
 

Methodology

The current research, in terms of purpose; It is practical and interpretive and analytical in nature, and in terms of method, it is in the group of qualitative and quantitative researches. The statistical population in the current research also includes specialists in the field of (geography and urban planning, tourism) who were determined by taking into account the purposeful sampling of 25 people.
In order to analyze the data, grounded theory and Friedman's test were used.
 

Results

First, the effective causal conditions were extracted from the interviews, which according to Friedman's test, the possibility of developing nature-based tourism based on the potential and actual capabilities of the region with an average value of 5.45 is the most important. Among the background conditions, the development of cooperative management with a value of 5.38 took the highest average value. Next, among the intervening conditions, the decentralized approach with a value of 5.44 was the most important. Also, other results showed that among the strategies, the identification of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the field of nature-based tourism and strategic planning for the development of this type of tourism with a value of 5.17, among the consequences, the integrated management of nature tourism marketing and efficiency It has a value of 5.00 and finally, among the obstacles, political obstacles with a value of 5.04 have the most importance in the development of nature-oriented tourism in mountain areas.
 

Discussion

There are several strategies, some of which were mentioned in this research: it is necessary to outline the tourism landscape of Neishabur, and determine the place of nature-based tourism in the goals of sustainable development of this city. Based on this, it was emphasized that meetings with a gathering of experts, managers of relevant organizations and local residents should be held in order to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the field of this sector of tourism, and try to make any kind of planning in other parts of tourism in line with nature tourism.
 

Conclusion

The overall results showed that the adoption of the proposed strategies has various consequences, one of which is sustainable development in dimensions (economic, social, physical and environmental) and diversification of economic activities resulting from tourism.
Keywords

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