Volume 14, Issue 52 (Summer 2025)
serd 2025, 14(52): 83-102 |
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Nazeri F, Ghafari S R, Gandomkar A, Saberi H. Exploring the Effects of Ecotourism on Entrepreneurship Indicators in Rural Settlements (Case Study: Dalkhani District, Ramsar County). serd 2025; 14 (52) : 5
URL: http://serd.khu.ac.ir/article-1-4069-en.html
URL: http://serd.khu.ac.ir/article-1-4069-en.html
1- Department of Geography, Faculty of Humanities, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran
2- Education and Extension Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, Tehran, Iran ,Sr.ghafari@iate.ir
3- Department of Geography, Tourism Research Center, Faculty of Humanities, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran
2- Education and Extension Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, Tehran, Iran ,
3- Department of Geography, Tourism Research Center, Faculty of Humanities, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran
Abstract: (2501 Views)
Objective: Ecotourism supports sustainable rural development by preserving the environment and biodiversity, creating jobs, enhancing entrepreneurship, and improving local livelihoods. This study examines how ecotourism impacts entrepreneurship indicators in rural settlements of Dalkhani District, Ramsar County.
Methods: The research is descriptive–analytical and applied, using documentary and field methods (questionnaires, interviews, observations). The statistical population comprises 3,475 households in 98 rural settlements, from which 370 were selected via Cochran’s formula using systematic random sampling. Questionnaire validity was confirmed by ecotourism and entrepreneurship experts; reliability was high (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.949). Data were analyzed with SPSS, Smart PLS, and GIS tools, applying Spearman correlation, one-sample t-tests, and path analysis to explore causal relationships.
Results: Among ecotourism dimensions, the economic (score = 31.53) and socio-cultural (score = 27.91) indicators had the strongest correlation (0.74). The weakest link was between physical–spatial and economic indicators (0.32). All dimensions significantly affected rural entrepreneurship, with ecotourism markedly fostering entrepreneurial activities.
Conclusion: In Dalkhani, ecotourism has created jobs, increased household income through accommodation, hospitality, agricultural product sales, and handicrafts, and moderately improved local infrastructure. However, insufficient attention to sustainability risks ecological and cultural imbalances. Future rural planning should integrate sustainability to ensure long-term benefits.
Methods: The research is descriptive–analytical and applied, using documentary and field methods (questionnaires, interviews, observations). The statistical population comprises 3,475 households in 98 rural settlements, from which 370 were selected via Cochran’s formula using systematic random sampling. Questionnaire validity was confirmed by ecotourism and entrepreneurship experts; reliability was high (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.949). Data were analyzed with SPSS, Smart PLS, and GIS tools, applying Spearman correlation, one-sample t-tests, and path analysis to explore causal relationships.
Results: Among ecotourism dimensions, the economic (score = 31.53) and socio-cultural (score = 27.91) indicators had the strongest correlation (0.74). The weakest link was between physical–spatial and economic indicators (0.32). All dimensions significantly affected rural entrepreneurship, with ecotourism markedly fostering entrepreneurial activities.
Conclusion: In Dalkhani, ecotourism has created jobs, increased household income through accommodation, hospitality, agricultural product sales, and handicrafts, and moderately improved local infrastructure. However, insufficient attention to sustainability risks ecological and cultural imbalances. Future rural planning should integrate sustainability to ensure long-term benefits.
Article number: 5
Keywords: Ecotourism, Dalkhani District, Sustainable Development, Ramsar County, Rural Entrepreneurship.
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