Tourism Impacts

This paper aims to study host attitude to economic, social-cultural and environmental-physical impacts of second homes tourism in Javaherdeh mountain village in the city of Ramsar.Method of this study was Descriptive-survey. Population of the study was host attitude in Javaherdeh mountain village in the city of Ramsar on the number of 2987 households. Sample size through Morgan sampling table was calculated 340 households that head of households were randomly studied. Data investigated by exploratory factor analysis and Hypotheses were tested through T-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation analysis by using of SPSS 22.Findings indicate that the villagers have positive attitude towards economic and social- cultural consequences of the construction of second home and have negative attitude towards its cultural and environmental impacts. Also between women and men, there are significant differences in terms of assessing the social and economic consequences.The main limitation of this study is the lack of access to some households in during distribution of the questionnaires, which led to an increase in return to the villages, spending a long time and increase the cost of research for the researchers.Host attitude is positive to economic and social- cultural impacts of second home tourism on rural development, thus for developmental planning must be considered to the above factors. Several studies have been done on this issue in Iran. In this study, we tried all the effects investigate with comprehensive and systematic approach that is the same geographically attitude.

Purpose- Protected Area Tourism, despite its economic potential, can pose threats to natural resources and disrupt the balance of rural regions if not properly managed. This study aims to propose strategies for achieving sustainable rural development through tourism while simultaneously conserving environmental values in the Khartouran protected area. The village of Qaleh Bala in Shahrud was selected as the case study. Design/methodology/approach- This research employed a qualitative approach using thematic analysis based on nine semi-structured interviews with tourism stakeholders. Participants were selected through purposive sampling until theoretical saturation was reached. Data analysis followed Braun and Clarke’s six-phase framework, and the process was conducted using MAXQDA software. Findings- The results reveal that the impacts of tourism on rural development fall into three dimensions: economic, sociocultural, and environmental. Economically, tourism has contributed to diversifying the local economy, creating jobs, and increasing income. However, it has also raised the cost of living, generated unstable employment, and intensified the village’s economic dependency on nearby cities. In the sociocultural dimension, interactions between tourists and residents have revived handicrafts, strengthened local identity, and enhanced social interactions. Yet, they have also led to cultural clashes, lifestyle changes, and the weakening of traditional values. Environmentally, tourism has raised ecological awareness and reduced pressure on natural resources by decreasing reliance on agriculture and livestock. Nevertheless, the high volume of tourists has increased stress on water and soil resources, resulting in ecosystem degradation. For sustainable management of tourism in protected areas, effective strategies include developing comprehensive plans, educating local communities and tourists, enforcing strict environmental regulations, improving sustainable infrastructure, promoting ecotourism, diversifying rural livelihoods, and ensuring continuous monitoring of tourism activities. Originality / Value- By adopting a qualitative approach and focusing on one of Iran’s most ecologically sensitive regions, this study provides an in-depth, multidimensional analysis of tourism impacts in protected areas. Its innovation lies in simultaneously identifying both the positive and negative effects of tourism across economic, sociocultural, and environmental dimensions and in offering realistic, context-specific management strategies to foster sustainable rural development within the framework of environmental conservation.