Ecotourism and Sustainable Development: Environmental, Economic, and Socio-Cultural Insights from Seven Case Studies

This study aims to examine the role of ecotourism in enhancing sustainable architecture development and its contribution to environmental, economic, and socio-cultural sustainability. Despite the growing importance of sustainable development, the integration of ecotourism principles into architectural design remains insufficiently explored. There is a need to better understand how ecotourism can influence sustainable architectural practices. This research adopts a qualitative and interpretive approach. It reviews the concept and impacts of ecotourism and analyzes seven international architectural case studies to evaluate their alignment with sustainable design principles. The results show that ۱۰۰% of the analyzed case studies incorporate sustainable architectural strategies. Key findings indicate that ecotourism contributes to environmental conservation (e.g., energy efficiency and resource management), enhances local economies through employment generation, and strengthens socio- cultural identity. Additionally, the integration of passive design strategies and local materials was observed in all examined cases. Ecotourism plays a significant role in promoting sustainable architecture by balancing environmental protection, economic growth, and cultural preservation. It provides a comprehensive framework for achieving sustainable development in tourism-oriented regions. The findings highlight the importance of integrating ecotourism principles into architectural design to support sustainable rural development and improve decision-making in tourism planning. This study contributes by combining ecotourism theory with architectural case study analysis, offering a holistic perspective on sustainable architecture development that has received limited attention in previous research.

کلیدواژه ها:

Ecotourism ، Sustainable Development ، Environmental Conservation ، Sustainable Tourism ، Socio-Cultural Impacts ، Local Materials