1. Introduction
Nowadays, the deterioration of many villages is a global issue. Considering the rising trend of destruction and evacuation of villages and the decline of agriculture, sustainable tourism as a new strategy for revitalizing rural areas can play a very effective role in increasing the income and well-being of residents and increasing the quality of life. Therefore, revitalization and empowerment has become one of the main concepts of sustainable development. Rural development is to some extent a function of empowering villagers and empowerment is a key strategy for socio-economic revitalization and sustainable development of local communities and sustainable tourism is a new approach to realize it. In this context, rural tourism, especially in rural areas, can be considered as an opportunity to develop the natural and cultural resources of rural areas because it creates many economic benefits, improves the quality of life of the local community, and it can support some deprived and non-industrial areas. Mountain rural tourism is considered an excellent complement to the agricultural sector and prevention of rural and population decline.
Tarom Township in Zanjan province has very beautiful and rich geographical landscapes formed by its vast mountains. Apart from being an agricultural pole, the touristic villages of Tarom have a high capacity in developing sustainable tourism. Therefore, the present study, using the qualitative research method and with the aim of investigating the effects of sustainable tourism development on the revitalization and empowerment of local communities, tries to answer the question that what effect does the sustainable development of tourism have on the revitalization and empowerment of rural communities?
2. Methodology
The current research is exploratory, and applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical in terms of method. The research method is a qualitative type of content analysis to discover, define and analyze the research topic. To use the qualitative method, the interview tool has been used. The interview technique and data collection method in the current research included semi-structured interviews using interview cards with open questions individually and taking notes of important points during the interview, as well as using theoretical literature related to the topic. In the direct interviews, the purposeful method and the snowball method were used to select samples. After coordination and agreement with the experts and interviews with the selected samples, it continued until the theoretical saturation stage. In total, theoretical saturation was achieved after conducting 18 direct interviews. On average, the interview lasted between 75 and 120 minutes. In order to analyze the data obtained from the interviews using the content analysis method, the extracted codes were categorized during three stages of coding, including open coding, central coding, and selective coding, and components and categories were identified.
 
3. Results
In general, the concepts related to the role of tourism in revitalizing and empowering local communities from the perspective of the interviewees of the research, in social and economic dimensions, were compiled in 12 social subcategories (components) and 8 economic subcategories (components), which according to the central questions and propositions listed In the text of the interviews, the role of tourism in revitalization and social empowerment and the role of tourism in revitalization and economic empowerment were divided into two categories. The main concepts to explain the role of sustainable tourism in the revitalization and social and economic empowerment of local communities in this research included 322 concepts and 97 categorization codes. The role of tourism in revitalization and social empowerment has 53 codes with a frequency of 162, and the role of tourism in revitalization and economic empowerment has 45 codes with a frequency of 160 codes.
 
4. Discussion
The rural areas of Tarem city in Zanjan province, due to the potential of tourism in recent years, have witnessed the increasing expansion of businesses related to this industry, which has brought favorable and significant results in the economy of this region. Therefore, according to the high potential of tourism in this region, the strategy of revitalization and socio-economic empowerment of rural areas by relying on local capacities and especially sustainable tourism can be used as a comprehensive approach to face challenges such as unemployment, seasonal fluctuations and reduced production. Agriculture, climate change and the issue of drought, immigration, lack of facilities and welfare services and other environmental and human limitations should be taken into consideration. Therefore, it is necessary to identify, analyze and present the consequences of sustainable tourism development from the perspective of revitalization and empowerment.
5. Conclusion
According to the results of the research, the findings from the interviews show that sustainable tourism can play an important role in the revitalization and social and economic empowerment of local communities. From a social point of view, sustainable tourism can act as an effective tool for revitalizing and empowering local communities. Promotion of local skills and capacities in activities related to tourism, increase of social capital, interaction and responsibility and place belonging, protection of cultural heritage are the most important consequences of sustainable development of tourism for revitalization and empowerment of rural areas. Sustainable tourism development can help to promote social justice and gender equality, strengthen social networks, stabilize the population, improve the quality of social life, develop educational capacities, strengthen cooperation and participation, improve access to basic services and improve health and social security. Planning, Development and the proper management of tourism by strengthening inter-sector links and empowering local communities, can help the socio-cultural revival of tourism destinations, and as a supplement to the agricultural sector, can prevent rural deterioration and population decline. From an economic point of view, tourism can be a powerful tool for revitalization.
Author Contributions
In the preparation and writing of this article, all authors have contributed equally and jointly. All stages of the research, from study design and data collection to analysis of results and final writing of the article, are the result of collaboration and collective agreement of all authors.
 
Data Availability Statement
Data available on request from the authors.
 
Acknowledgments
This paper was extracted from the PhD thesis of the first author with the title "Revitalization and empowerment of local communities by developing sustainable tourism capacities in rural areas, case study: touristic villages of Gilvan-Dram-Tehm axis in Tarom" in Department of Geography,
Faculty of Humanities,
University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran.
 
Ethical Considerations
All authors affirm that this research was conducted in accordance with ethical standards, with no data fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism.
 
Funding
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
 
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.