Document Type : Research Article
Authors
1 Faculty of Geohgraphy- University of Tehran
2 MSc in Geography and Tourism Planning, Faculty of Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
3 MSc in Geography and Rural Planning, Faculty of Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The tourism industry can have important social, economic, political and environmental impacts in the touristic area. On the other hand, understanding the livelihood situation of the people (the main livelihood capitals, i.e. natural, human, economic, social and organizational capitals) is an important factor in achieving the goals of sustainable rural development. Geotourism as an environmentally friendly tourism can be an important source of income and preserving biodiversity. Rural geotourism is tourism activities related to geological phenomena that take place in the village. Rural geotourism can contribute to economic diversification and sustainable development and, by creating employment and income, can lead to the development of underdeveloped areas. Garmsar and Aradan counties located in Semnan province have the potential to become geotourism areas due to their special geomorphological conditions, natural landscapes and salt mines. This study, using library methods, field surveys, and a researcher-made questionnaire, has addressed the main objective of this study, which is to investigate the role of geotourism on sustainable rural livelihoods in Garmsar and Aradan counties. The statistical population of this study is the rural areas of Garmsar and Aradan counties, which include 21,225 people. Based on the Morgan table sampling method, the sample size calculated for the study is 377 samples. Examining the questions related to the dimensions of financial, physical, natural, social, human, and institutional capitals indicates that tourism has played an important role (both positive and negative effects) in promoting livelihood capitals. Among them, the dimensions of social, institutional, financial, natural, physical, and human capital have had the highest to lowest impact, respectively.
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