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Volume 40, Issue 2 (2025)
GeoRes 2025, 40(2): 133-142 |
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Received: 2025/02/8 | Accepted: 2025/04/18 | Published: 2025/06/10
Received: 2025/02/8 | Accepted: 2025/04/18 | Published: 2025/06/10
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Rezaei Tabar Z, Motevalli S, Janbaz Ghobadi G. Empowering Local Communities in Mahmoudabad City for Sustainable Tourism Development with Emphasis on Natural Capacities. GeoRes 2025; 40 (2) :133-142
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1- Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Noor Branch, Islamic Azad University, Noor, Iran
2- Department of Geography, Noor Branch, Islamic Azad University, Noor, Iran
2- Department of Geography, Noor Branch, Islamic Azad University, Noor, Iran
Abstract (931 Views)
Aims: This study aimed to examine the empowerment of local communities for sustainable tourism development with an emphasis on natural capacities in Mahmoudabad City.
Methodology: This descriptive study was conducted in 2024 as a case study in Mahmoudabad City. A list of indicators influencing community empowerment was prepared through a review of scientific resources. Based on these indicators, a questionnaire was designed. The questions were closed-ended and developed using the Likert scale. The content validity of the questionnaire was evaluated by ten experts in sustainable tourism and community development. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. The target population included citizens, managers, and city officials in Mahmoudabad. The statistical population was 31,844, and using Cochran's method, the sample size was calculated to be 380 participants, selected through simple random sampling. The data were analyzed using paired t-tests.
Findings: Implementing local community empowerment indicators in Mahmoudabad demonstrated that the environmental dimension, with an average score of 4.11, had the greatest impact on sustainable tourism development. Based on the prioritization of criteria related to the three dimensions (economic, social, and environmental) social and welfare transformations (mean difference of -1.92), employment and income (-1.88), and social participation (-1.63) were identified as top priorities. The data were analyzed using paired t-tests in SPSS 24 software.
Conclusion: In the economic dimension, youth employment was favorable, but seasonal income and the establishment of economic units were weak. In the social dimension, public participation was positively evaluated, but access and education needed enhancement. In the environmental dimension, cooperation in environmental conservation was strong, but challenges such as nature destruction and pollution were significant. Implementing the proposed indicators would create significant changes, with a focus on employment, income, and social participation as key priorities.
Methodology: This descriptive study was conducted in 2024 as a case study in Mahmoudabad City. A list of indicators influencing community empowerment was prepared through a review of scientific resources. Based on these indicators, a questionnaire was designed. The questions were closed-ended and developed using the Likert scale. The content validity of the questionnaire was evaluated by ten experts in sustainable tourism and community development. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. The target population included citizens, managers, and city officials in Mahmoudabad. The statistical population was 31,844, and using Cochran's method, the sample size was calculated to be 380 participants, selected through simple random sampling. The data were analyzed using paired t-tests.
Findings: Implementing local community empowerment indicators in Mahmoudabad demonstrated that the environmental dimension, with an average score of 4.11, had the greatest impact on sustainable tourism development. Based on the prioritization of criteria related to the three dimensions (economic, social, and environmental) social and welfare transformations (mean difference of -1.92), employment and income (-1.88), and social participation (-1.63) were identified as top priorities. The data were analyzed using paired t-tests in SPSS 24 software.
Conclusion: In the economic dimension, youth employment was favorable, but seasonal income and the establishment of economic units were weak. In the social dimension, public participation was positively evaluated, but access and education needed enhancement. In the environmental dimension, cooperation in environmental conservation was strong, but challenges such as nature destruction and pollution were significant. Implementing the proposed indicators would create significant changes, with a focus on employment, income, and social participation as key priorities.
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