Document Type : Original article
Authors
Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning، Faculty of Earth Sciences، Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Introduction: E-tourism, as one of the significant manifestations of digital transformation in the tourism industry, plays an important role in facilitating access to information, service reservation, travel planning, and improving tourists’ experiences. With the expansion of the internet and communication technologies, the ways in which tourism services are delivered and received have been fundamentally transformed, making e-tourism an effective tool for enhancing the speed, accuracy, and quality of services. In addition to reducing costs and time, this approach contributes to sustainable development, greater competitiveness among tourism businesses, and improved tourist satisfaction. It enables a more personalized travel experience and opens up new avenues for marketing and promotion, especially for niche tourism segments.”
Materials and Methods: This study is applied in terms of its purpose and employs a mixed methodological approach combining descriptive-analytical and futures studies perspectives. Data were collected descriptively from documents, articles, and internet-based sources related to e-tourism and the sustainable development of rural settlements. The statistical population consisted of 25 participants. In the first stage, influential factors were identified through Delphi interviews and subsequently integrated and validated through a review of the research literature. For content validity of the questionnaire, expert opinions were considered. Reliability was assessed using the test-retest method with two consecutive rotations, yielding impact coefficients of 90% and 101%, and dependency coefficients of 83% and 98%, respectively. These figures indicate a suitable stability for the matrix. In the next stage, these factors were evaluated using a futures-studies questionnaire and MICMAC analysis. Data analysis was conducted at two levels: direct and indirect influence. Variables were categorized into five groups based on their degree of influence and susceptibility: driver, dependent, dual-risk, regulator, and secondary lever. Ultimately, the key drivers influencing e-tourism for the horizon of 1414 were identified and prioritized. The statistical population included available experts, specialists, and informed stakeholders in rural tourism, consisting of village managers, local council administrators, and experts and managers from the Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Organization of Amol County.
Results and Discussion: The findings regarding the identification of key drivers influencing e-tourism indicate that financial support from public and private sectors for rural e-tourism infrastructure projects, such as the Internet of Things, cloud computing, augmented reality, and high-bandwidth, high-speed internet (ET2), targeted promotion of the region’s tourist attractions and accurate information dissemination among local communities and tourists (ET5), provision of high-quality and high-speed internet access infrastructure for tourists and rural residents to support e-tourism development (ET14), establishment of an integrated organizational monitoring system for guiding e-tourism in the Larijan district of Amol (ET3), strategic planning and foresight in policy-making as well as the formulation of effective regulations for e-tourism (ET10), and improvement of governmental regulations and facilitation of licensing procedures for investors and applicants in the e-tourism sector (ET9) are among the most influential key drivers.
Conclusion: The analysis showed that the main drivers of e-tourism in Larijan, Amol, include financial support and technological infrastructure, targeted advertising and information dissemination, integrated monitoring, and effective policy-making accompanied by simplified licensing procedures. Given local challenges such as weak internet connectivity, dispersed rural settlements, and administrative bureaucracy, strengthening infrastructure—including high-speed internet, IoT, cloud computing, and augmented reality—is essential. Ultimately, the sustainable development of e-tourism in Larijan requires comprehensive cooperation among government, the private sector, local communities, and academic institutions, along with continuous monitoring of indicators and periodic reassessment of key drivers within five-year horizons.
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