درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Purpose- Agritourism provides a sustainable substitute that supports international initiatives to address environmental issues and the increasing depletion of natural resources. The aim of this research is to investigate the role of agricultural tourism in sustainable rural development. Design/methodology/approach - The present study is a mixed research (qualitative-quantitative) type that was designed in two stages. In the first stage, In order to identify and extract the factors affecting the role of agricultural tourism in sustainable rural development, 18 semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts in this field using purposive sampling method and considering the theoretical saturation index of data. Second stage: In the second stage, in order to ensure the accuracy of the first stage process and observe changes, exploratory factor analysis was performed without any initial division for the factors extracted from the first stage. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were used in data analysis. The statistical population of the study at this stage was villages with agricultural tourism potential in the four cities of Tonekabon, Nowshahr, Sari, and Babol, which were selected based on a stratified random sampling method with proportional assignment, with a total of 320 people. Findings - The results of the second-order confirmatory factor analysis also showed that among the second-order factor loadings, the economic and infrastructure structure (0.94) has the greatest impact, followed by the political and institutional structure (0.87), the social and educational structure (0.76), and the human and climatic structure (0.69) respectively, which have the least impact on the main structure (the role of agricultural tourism in sustainable rural development). Practical Implications - Since Mazandaran province has high tourism potential, the results of this study can help policymakers to formulate an appropriate program in the field of agritourism in line with the sustainability of rural communities. Originality/Value - This study works towards sustainable development by providing a complete strategy for the development of agricultural tourism, and this study has attempted to fill the gaps and gaps in previous studies.

Purpose- In today's world, where the trend of tourism has changed from mass to individualistic patterns and tourists give more priority to flexibility and meaningful experiences, creative tourism is a new and interesting aspect in the field of tourism, where more attention is paid to tangible heritage to intangible heritage. From the point of view of the villagers, creative tourism means that the residents are passionate and proud of the cultural, natural, and physical environment of the village, evaluate the effects of tourism positively, and accept participation in tourism development programs, to finally be a suitable host in the relationship. To achieve this kind of tourism, various factors are effective in realizing this. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of behavioral and environmental factors in villagers' hospitability in tourism target villages of Kermanshah province with the structural equation analysis approach. Design/methodology/approach- Questionnaires were randomly distributed among residents. The statistical population of the research is 14 tourism target villages of Kermanshah province, which according to the census of 2016 (According to the latest population and housing census in Iran) has a population equal to 10039 people, and the size of the studied sample was estimated to be 380 people based on the Cochran formula. Also, an average of 10 domestic and foreign tourists from each village filled out questionnaires, resulting in a total of 140 questionnaires. Finding- The results showed that the effect of the behavioral factor on hosting was greater. In the sense that the perception, attitude, and participation of villagers will be good predictors for the realization of creative hosting. Also, the results showed that the highest average acceptance of host was in the villages Considering the geographical and environmental conditions and tourism of Shamshir, Harir and Hajij, which had the best condition.

Purpose- This study examined the effects of non-revenue water (NRW) on organisation running costs and customer satisfaction. The intention was to describe the NRW's effects on the MUWASA's performance as a case study. Specifically, it identified factors prompting non-revenue water; described the NRW effects on organisation running costs; and examined the level of customer satisfaction towards service provision.Design/methodology/approach- A purposive sampling technique was used to pick respondents for the household survey and key informant interview. The study included 100 respondents (70 connected customers and 30 employees of the authority). MUWASA serves 5 zones of the municipality; therefore, the study obtained 70 connected customers from the five zones of the authority. The household survey and the key informant interviews (KII) were the main data collection methods, the survey technique was used to collect data from 100 respondents and seven were involved in key informant interviews.  Descriptive and inferential statistics and content analysis were used in data analysis.Findings- The findings have indicated that NRW affects the water utility revenue collection, and organisation running costs, which jeopardizes customer satisfaction with the organizational service delivery. Originality/value- Based on the National Water Policy of 2002 which aims at achieving sustainable, effective, and efficient development and management of Water Supply and Sanitation one of its objectives is to create an enabling environment and appropriate incentives for the delivery of reliable, sustainable, and affordable water supply and sanitation services. Therefore, the findings of this study are a catalyst for the improvement of the set policy objectives and enhance interventions where necessary.