Compiling the Target Village Indicators for Tourism Development in Iran and Their Evaluation (Case study: Semnan Province Villages)

Abstract

Rural development can be regarded as the process of empowerment and promotion of life in the context of quality of life and the environment, efficiency and economic self-sufficiency and the maintenance and improvement of environmental quality in rural areas (Zmanipoor, 1994). There are some approaches applying tourism as a strategy for rural areas. These approaches, according to the increasing destruction of villages and agriculture, are trying to offer new strategies to revitalize rural areas by creating complementary activities or transform these areas due to their natural and human resources and the only way to rehabilitate the villages is to offer partial programs and strategies to utilize natural and human resources and could make income and increase the level of welfare of the people’s lives in rural areas (Holland & Dixey, 2003). From the 70s of the twentieth century, tourism activities in rural areas have been increased dramatically in all parts of the developed countries around the world which played a key role on development of rural areas that were lagging in terms of social and economic aspects (Perales, 2002). Therefore, industry experts acknowledge that developing rural tourism will not be possible without reorganizing and extensive rural areas on the basis of scientific and comprehensive planning. In this study, it was tried to evaluate the indices using Hierarchical analysis model of AHP by reviewing the tourism condition and determining the effective indices on determining the target villages of tourism and determine its role in developing villages. In order to test theses indices the target villages of tourism in Semnan Province was evaluates and prioritized.