Developing participatory tourism in natural ecosystems: A perspective based on the Iranian experience

Simultaneously with the emphasis on tourism development, the concept of sustainability has gained significant attention. Sustainability has become one of the most critical issues in tourism. The intertwining of sustainability and tourism has led to a new approach in planning; this approach is referred to by terms such as participatory, equity-based, sustainable, democratic, community-based planning. Given the importance of developing participatory tourism, the aim of this study is to investigate this topic in natural ecosystems. Therefore, in order to clarify the objectives, approaches, barriers, influencing factors, and stakeholders affecting participation in such tourism destinations, a systematic review of literature was conducted to collect data. Considering criteria such as the study area (Iran) and the field of study (environmental sciences), the text of related articles was analyzed. The most important objectives of environmental studies that have focused on tourism participation include the restoration and conservation of natural resources, mobilizing people to participate in this effort for sustainable development, sustainable development, participatory planning and management of natural resources, integration, empowerment, and capacity building of local communities. In pursuit of these goals, the emphasized approach is to abandon traditional and classical approaches and reject an instrumental view of public participation. Furthermore, the most significant barriers identified in this process include poor performance of managers and officials, conflicts of interest, distrust, and low coordination. In any case, local communities and people, community organizations and associations, government and governmental organizations, and tourists are the stakeholders of participatory tourism development, and the level of their sense of belonging, awareness, norms, attitudes, livelihoods, employment, and income affects their willingness to participate. Studies seek active participatory behavior of tourism stakeholders in the conservation of natural resources; encouraging participatory behaviors requires norm-setting and attitudinal guidance. The correlation between a sense of place and participation necessitates avoiding the state-owned perception of natural resources and creating a public image for them; thus, it is suggested that natural resources be considered as public resources, and local people should come to believe in this. The government needs to implement incentive policies and credit benefits to encourage local community. Given the livelihood challenges of local communities, redistribution of economic benefits from tourism is necessary.

کلیدواژه ها:

Participation ، Natural Ecosystem ، Tourism ، Iran