Tourism and Sustainable Development of Rural Communities: A Participatory Approach (Case Study: Shiraz County)

Rural tourism within rural communities serves as an effective strategy for revitalization and addressing the negative impacts of urbanization, population decline, deforestation, and unemployment. This study aims to investigate the role of tourism in the sustainable development of rural communities through a participatory approach. This applied research employs a descriptive-analytical methodology. The primary data collection instrument was a researcher-developed questionnaire. The statistical population consisted of experts and specialists in rural tourism. A census sampling method was used, resulting in the selection of 30 participants. University professors and experts in the fields of tourism and rural development confirmed the content validity of the questionnaire. Its reliability was verified using Cronbach's alpha, resulting in a coefficient of 0.782.To analyze the data, methods such as score summation, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation were employed to evaluate consensus among experts. The Kruskal-Wallis and Kendall tests were used to assess intergroup stability and the reliability of expert opinions. Additionally, the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (Fuzzy AHP) was applied to rank the criteria and sub-criteria. The findings reveal that the economic dimension of tourism, with a final weight of 0.388, is viewed as the most significant factor in achieving sustainable rural development in Shiraz County. This is followed by the environmental dimension (0.240), leisure and educational aspects (0.195), and finally the socio-cultural dimension (0.185). These results suggest that stakeholders perceive economic factors as playing a more prominent role compared to other dimensions in the context of rural tourism and sustainability.
Rural tourism within rural communities serves as an effective strategy for revitalization and addressing the negative impacts of urbanization, population decline, deforestation, and unemployment. This study aims to investigate the role of tourism in the sustainable development of rural communities through a participatory approach. This applied research employs a descriptive-analytical methodology. The primary data collection instrument was a researcher-developed questionnaire. The statistical population consisted of experts and specialists in rural tourism. A census sampling method was used, resulting in the selection of 30 participants. University professors and experts in the fields of tourism and rural development confirmed the content validity of the questionnaire. Its reliability was verified using Cronbach's alpha, resulting in a coefficient of 0.782.To analyze the data, methods such as score summation, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation were employed to evaluate consensus among experts. The Kruskal-Wallis and Kendall tests were used to assess intergroup stability and the reliability of expert opinions. Additionally, the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (Fuzzy AHP) was applied to rank the criteria and sub-criteria. The findings reveal that the economic dimension of tourism, with a final weight of 0.388, is viewed as the most significant factor in achieving sustainable rural development in Shiraz County. This is followed by the environmental dimension (0.240), leisure and educational aspects (0.195), and finally the socio-cultural dimension (0.185). These results suggest that stakeholders perceive economic factors as playing a more prominent role compared to other dimensions in the context of rural tourism and sustainability.
Rural tourism within rural communities serves as an effective strategy for revitalization and addressing the negative impacts of urbanization, population decline, deforestation, and unemployment. This study aims to investigate the role of tourism in the sustainable development of rural communities through a participatory approach. This applied research employs a descriptive-analytical methodology. The primary data collection instrument was a researcher-developed questionnaire. The statistical population consisted of experts and specialists in rural tourism. A census sampling method was used, resulting in the selection of 30 participants. University professors and experts in the fields of tourism and rural development confirmed the content validity of the questionnaire. Its reliability was verified using Cronbach's alpha, resulting in a coefficient of 0.782.To analyze the data, methods such as score summation, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation were employed to evaluate consensus among experts. The Kruskal-Wallis and Kendall tests were used to assess intergroup stability and the reliability of expert opinions. Additionally, the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (Fuzzy AHP) was applied to rank the criteria and sub-criteria. The findings reveal that the economic dimension of tourism, with a final weight of 0.388, is viewed as the most significant factor in achieving sustainable rural development in Shiraz County.