An Assessment of the Environmental Quality of Rural Tourism Destinations (Case Study: Ghalehroodkhan Tourism Area)

Document Type : علمی

Authors

• Mahdi Hesam ¹
• Hamid Reza Baghiani ²
• Mahdi Cheraghi ³

¹ University of Guilan

² University of Yazd

³ University of Tehran

10.22067/jrrp.v6i4.63274

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the present study is to investigate the environmental quality of rural tourism destinations in Ghalehroodkhan tourism area in Fooman County.
Design/methodology/approach: This study was a descriptive-analytical one conducted via survey method. The population of the study included the tourists in the study area. As the total number of the population was not known, to determine the sample size, 380 questionnaires were distributed. Heckman test and factor analysis were used for data analysis.
Findings: The results showed that the structural-performance factors, tourist attractions, and visual and environmental attractions were the factors that played an effective role in the environmental quality of rural tourism destinations. Factor analysis was used to assess the environmental quality of the rural tourism destinations of Ghalehroodkhan area. As a result of reduction of 47 variables, five factors were developed including leisure time, attractions, infrastructure, social and environmental factors, with the special values of 18.41, 17.26, 14.67, 11.83 and 9.78 respectively.
Research limitations/implications: The high cost of the research and the time required to fill out the questionnaires, with regard to the extent of the study area, were among the main challenges facing the present study.
Originality/values: This study plays an important part in consideration of the factors that affect the quality of the rural tourism destinations.

Keywords

• Environmental Quality
• Fooman County
• Ghalehroodkhan tourism area
• Rural tourism
• tourism destinations

---

References

1. Adina, C. N., & Bratucu, G. (2011). Integrated quality management of tourist destinations in protected areas, the case of Piatra Craiului national park. The USV Annals of Economics and Public Administration, 10(3), 101-109. ‏

2. Akbariyan Ronizi, S., & Sheikh Biglou, R. (1394/2015). An assessment of the environmental quality of tourist villages: A case study of Asara district, Karaj County. Journal of Rural Studies, 6(2), 433-457. [In Persian]

3. Al-Ababneh, M. (2013). Service quality and its impact on tourist satisfaction. Interdisciplinary Journal of contemporary research in business, 4(12), 164-177. ‏

4. Alizadeh, T., & Alizadeh, J. (1392/2013). An evaluation of the quality of life environment in rural areas from residents' point of view: A case study of villages in Aslandoz rural district, Ardebil province. Journal of Housing and Rural Environment, 32(144), 59-74. [In Persian]

5. Andereck, K. L., & Vogt, C. A. (2000). The relationship between residents’ attitudes towards tourism and tourism development options. Journal of Travel Research, 39, 27-36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/004728750003900104.

6. Attfield, R. (2003). Environmental Ethics. Cambridge: Polity.

7. Awaritefe, O. D. (2003). Destination environment quality and tourists' spatial behavior in Nigeria: a case study of third world tropical Africa. International Journal of Tourism Research, 5(4), 251-268. ‏

8. Blazeska, D., Milenkovski, A., & Gramatnikovski, S. (2015). The quality of the tourist destinations a key factor for increasing their attractiveness. UTMS Journal of Economics, 6(2), 341. ‏

9. Chin, C. H., Lo, M. C., Songan, P., & Nair, V. (2014). Rural tourism destination competitiveness: a study on Annah Rais Longhouse Homestay, Sarawak. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 144, 35-44. ‏

10. Daniel, T. C. (2001). Whither scenic beauty? Visual landscape quality assessment in the 21st century. Landscape and urban planning, 54(1), 267-281. ‏

11. Dess, G. G., & Beard, D. W. (1984). Dimensions of organizational task environments. Administrative science quarterly, 29, 52-73. ‏

12. Di Betta, P., & Amenta, C. (2013). Environmental quality and entrepreneurial activity in rural tourism in Italy. Journal of Management and Sustainability, 3(1), 33-44.

13. European Commission. (2002). Using natural and cultural heritage to develop sustainable tourism in nontraditional tourist destinations. European Commission Study, Ecosystems LTD, Luxembourg.

14. Garre, S., Meeus, S., & Gulinck, H. (2009). The dual role of roads in the visual landscape: A case-study in the area around Mechelen (Belgium). Landscape and Urban Planning, 92(2), 125-135. ‏

15. George, B. P., & Poyyamoli, G. S. (2013). Tourism and environmental quality management: comparative perspectives. ASEAN Journal on Hospitality and Tourism, 6(1), 29-44. ‏

16. Germond, T. L. (2009). Evaluating methods for measuring and managing the cumulative visual effects of oil and gas development on bureau of land management national conservation lands in the southwestern United States. ‏ University of Massachusetts Amherst

17. Ghadermarzi, H., Zare Mamaghani, B., & Ziyari, K. (1392/2013). An evaluation of the quality of residential environment of the villages integrated in Sanandaj: A case of Hassan Abad and Naysar villages. Space Economy & Rural Development, 1(3), 39-56. [In Persian]

18. Gharibnia, F., Shamseldini, A., & Dehghani, K. (1392/2013). Analysis of the quality of location in rural settlements in Mamsani: A case study of Doshman Ziari District. Journal of Geological Survey of Desert Regions 1(2), 195-220. [In Persian]

19. Gronau, W., & Kagermeier, A. (2007). Key factors for successful leisure and tourism public transport provision. Journal of Transport Geography, 15(2), 127–135.

20. Heckman, J. (1979). The common structure of statistical models of truncation, Sampling selection and limited dependent variable and a simple estimator for such models. Journal of Economic and social measurement, 5(1), 475- 492.

21. Holden, A. (1394/2015). Environment and tourism (1nd ed., A. Movahed, & R. Zarei, Trans.). Tehran: SAMT Publications. [In Persian]

22. Holland, J., Dixey, L., & Burian, M. (2003). Tourism in poor rural areas: Diversifying the product and expanding the benefits in rural Uganda and The Czech Republic, London, UK: ODI, IIED and ICRT.

23. Huang, C. (2012). The impact of local environmental quality on international tourism demand: The case of China. ‏ Department of Economics University of San Francisco. Pp. 1-24.

24. Inskeep, E. (1991). Tourism planning: an integrated and sustainable development approach. London: Van Nostrand Reinhold. ‏

25. Jallouli, J., & Moreau, G. (2009). An immersive path-based study of wind turbines' landscape: A French case in Plouguin. Renewable Energy, 34(3), 597-607. ‏

26. Jome-pour, M., & Ahmadi, Sh. (1390/2011). The impact of tourism on rural sustainable livelihood: A case study of Barghan Village, Savojbolagh County. Rural Research Quarterly, 2(1), 33-63. [In Persian]

27. Kahtani, S. J. H. A. L., Xia, J., & Veenendaal, B. (2011). Measuring accessibility to tourist attractions. ‏ the Geospatial Science Research Symposium 2011, Melbourne. Pp 1-13.

28. Kakavand, E., Barati, N., & Aminzade gohar rizi, B. (1392/2013). Comparative assessment of mental image of citizens with planners to quality of the urban environment (Case study: Qazvin Distressed Area). The Scientific Journal of Bagh-I-Nazar, 10(25), 101-112. [In Persian]

29. Kazemi, M., Samira Pour, F., & Bitaraf, F. (1390/2011). The effects of tourists’ mentally on perceived value of coastal cities of the Caspian Sea, with emphasis on the mediating role of the quality of perceived factors. Journal of Urban Planning and Research, 6, 19-34. [In Persian]

30. Khairbin, H., & Norouzian, M. (2006). A study on visual quality of tourism accommodation in eco-tourism site in Paya Indah Wetlands, Malaysia. Asean Journal on Hospitality and Tourism, 5(2), 103-116. ‏

31. Knudson, D. (1988). Outdoor Recreation and Tourism. Macmillan: New York.

32. Kuvan, Y., & Akan, P. (2005). Residents' attitudes toward general and forest-related impacts of tourism: the case of Belek, Antalya. Tourism management, 26(5), 691-706. ‏

33. Lansing, J. B., & Marans, R. W. (1969). Evaluation of neighborhood quality. Journal of the American Institute of Planners, 35(3), 195-199. ‏

34. Lo, M. C., Ramayah, T., & Hui, H. L. H. (2014). Rural communities’ perceptions and attitudes towards environment tourism development. Journal of Sustainable Development, 7(4), 84-94. ‏

35. McCool, S. F., Benson, R. E., & Ashor, J. L. (1986). How the public perceives the visual effects of timber harvesting: An evaluation of interest group preferences. Environmental Management, 10(3), 385-391. ‏

36. National Institutes of Health (2000). Health disparities: Linking biological and behavioral mechanisms with social and physical environments. Bethesda, Md: National Institutes of Health; 2000. RFA ES-00-004.

37. Pakzad, J. (1385/2006). A Design Guide for Urban Spaces (2nd ed.). Tehran, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Urban Planning and Architecture: Shahidi Publications. [In Persian]

38. Porteous, J. D. (1971). Design with people:" The quality of the urban environment". Environment and Behavior, 3(2), 155. ‏

39. Pour Jafar, M., Taghvaee, A., & Sadeghi, A. (1388/2009). The effects of organizing visual axes on improving the quality of the environment of urban public spaces: A case study of Azadi Avenue, Tehran. Journal of Urban Management, 24, 65-80. [In Persian]

40. Pourahmad, A., Farhoodi, R., Habibi, K., & Keshavarz, M. (1390/2011). An investigation of the role of quality of residential environment in intra-urban migration: A case study of the old areas of Khoramabad. Journal of Human Geography Research, 43(75), 17-36. [In Persian]

41. Prideaux, B. (2000). The role of the transport system in destination development. Tourism management, 21(1), 53-63. ‏

42. Rafiyan, M., Molody, J., & Pourtahiri, M. (1390/2011). An assessment of the quality in urban environment in new cities: a case study of Hashtgerd new town. Journal of Planning and Land Preparation, 3, 19-38. [In Persian]

43. Rahnemaie, M., & Shah Husseini, P. (1383/2004). Urban Planning Process in Iran (1nd ed.). Tehran: SAMT Publications. [In Persian]

44. RIVM, (2002). In: Bouwman, A. van Kamp, I. van Poll, R. (Eds.), Report 630950 00x Work shopverslag Leefomgevingskwaliteit II. Verslag Workshop, 18 December 2001, in press.

45. Roknodin-e-Eftekhari, A., & Ghaderi, A. (1381/2002). The role of rural tourism in rural development (A review and analysis of theoretical frameworks). Modarres Quarterly, 6 (2), 23-40. [In Persian]

46. Sheppard, S. R. (2004). Visual analysis of forest landscapes. In Encyclopedia of forest sciences. San Diego: Elsevier Academic Press.

47. Shi'a, A., & Alipour Oshliki, S. (1389/2010). An analysis of quality factors of coastal tourism environment according to sustainable tourism criteria: A case study of Ramsar beaches. Journal of Architecture, Urban Design & Urban Planning, 3(5), 155-167. [In Persian]

48. Shonk, D. J. (2006). Perceptions of service quality, satisfaction and the intent to return among tourists attending a sporting event (doctoral dissertation), The Ohio State University. ‏

49. Sojasi Qeidari, H. (1393/2014). An evaluation of the effects of Rural Guide plans on environmental quality in rural areas. A case study of Ramyan County, North and South Fenderesk Rural District (Dehestan). Geography and Planning, 20(57), 151-173. [In Persian]

50. Sojasi Qeidari, H., & Sadeghloo, T. (1395/2016). The role of environmental quality in attracting tourists to rural tourism destinations: A case study of tourism villages of Small Lavasan Rural District. Journal of geographic research, 31(2), 32-49. [In Persian]

51. Sojasi Qeidari, H., Sadeghloo, T., & Mahdavi, D. (1393/2014). The role of environmental quality of tourism and rural destinations in enhancing the mental image of tourists: A case study of tourist destinations in Rud-bar Ghasran. Journal of Spatial Planning, 19 (2), 61-88. [In Persian]

52. Telfer, D. J. (2009). Development studies and tourism. The SAGE handbook of tourism studies, 146-165. ‏Van Kamp, I., Leidelmeijer, K., Marsman, G., & De Hollander, A. (2003). Urban environmental quality and human well-being: towards a conceptual framework and demarcation of concepts; a literature study. Landscape and urban planning, 65(1), 5-18. ‏

53. Vujic, V. (2007). Implementation of Integral System of Quality Management in Tourism. International Journal for Quality Research, 1(4), 323-328. ‏

54. Worthington, A. C., & Dollery, B. E. (2000). Can Australian local government play a meaningful role in the development of social capital in disadvantaged rural communities? The Australian Journal of Social Issues, 35(4), 349-361. ‏

55. Zabihi, H., & Moradi, M. (1392/2013). A measurement of the quality of living environment in Narmak neighborhood of Tehran. Journal of Urban Researches of Haft Hesar, 2(6), 5-16. [In Persian]

56. Zhong, L., Deng, J., Song, Z., & Ding, P. (2011). Research on environmental impacts of tourism in China: Progress and prospect. Journal of environmental management, 92(11), 2972-2983. ‏

57. Zulkarnaini, N. (2015). The quality of social environment and social accessibility of fishing communities in West Sumatra, Indonesia. European Journal of Sustainable Development, 4(1), 1-8.