Desert areas; Ecotourism development; Environmental conservation; Tourism management; Geography, Planning and Development; Economics and Econometrics; Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Abstract :
[en] This study is an attempt to develop ecotourism in Nehbandan County, in the South Khorasan Province, Iran, by representing unknown areas that have tourism potential. The most important obstacle in the development of tourism industry is the lack of strong marketing plans, tourism management, accommodations for overnight and long stays, and medical and health clinic in the desert. This is a qualitative, exploratory case study investigating the status of environmental, sociocultural, and economic impacts of ecotourism development on the native people’s livelihood in Nehbandan County in Iran. The methodology is based on field observations, secondary data sources, and field survey. It is an interpretive approach that avoids numbers but focuses on issues linked to culture and nature. In the present study, the grounded theory was used to perform data analysis. Based on the findings, ecotourism has undoubtedly proven to be an effective environmental conservation tool in the study site and enables local people to increase their livelihood security through employment in activities relating to ecotourism and the development of rural livelihood.
Disciplines :
Agriculture & agronomy
Author, co-author :
Ghorbani, Amir; Department of Tourism Management, Semnan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Semnan, Iran
Mousazadeh, Hossein; Department of Regional Science, Eotvos Lorand University, Budapest, Hungary
Taheri, Fatemeh; Department of Agricultural Economics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
Ehteshammajd, Shaghayegh; Department of Economic, Agricultural Extension and Education, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Azadi, Hossein ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre > Modélisation et développement ; Department of Geography, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium ; Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
Yazdanpanah, Masoud; Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan, Mollasani, Iran
Khajehshahkohi, Alireza; Department of Geography and Rural Planning, Golestan University, Gorgan, Iran
Tanaskovik, Vjekoslav; Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Food of Ss. Cyril, Methodius University, Skopje, North Macedonia
Van Passel, Steven; Department of Engineering Management, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
Language :
English
Title :
An attempt to develop ecotourism in an unknown area: the case of Nehbandan County, South Khorasan Province, Iran
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