A Comprehensive Assessment of the Economic, Social, Environmental, and ‎Management Impacts of Nature-Based Tourism Development in West Azerbaijan ‎Province

Introduction and purpose‏:‏‎ Nature-based tourism, as one of the core components of sustainable ‎development, plays a crucial role in environmental conservation and improving the livelihoods of ‎local communities. This type of tourism is designed to promote the responsible utilization of natural ‎resources, preserve biodiversity, and empower local communities. West Azerbaijan Province, with ‎its rich biodiversity, numerous natural attractions, and unique cultural heritage, is considered one of ‎the most promising regions for developing nature-based tourism in Iran. However, the development ‎of tourism in this area faces challenges such as pressure on natural resources, inadequate ‎infrastructure, and the absence of sustainable planning. The primary objective of this study is to ‎conduct a comprehensive analysis of the economic, social, environmental, and managerial impacts ‎of nature-based tourism development in the province and to propose sustainable strategies for ‎enhancing the tourism value chain.‎
Materials and Methods: This applied research was conducted using a survey-based approach. ‎Initially, the sustainability indicators for nature-based tourism were identified through a review of ‎the literature and expert opinions. The Delphi method was then employed to validate these ‎indicators, and the Best-Worst Method (BWM) was used to weigh and prioritize them. Data were ‎collected through questionnaires and interviews with three groups: academic experts, executive ‎managers, and local stakeholders. The study examined the impacts of nature-based tourism ‎development across four main dimensions: benefits, opportunities, costs, and risks. Pairwise ‎comparisons were utilized for weighting the criteria, and relevant software was used to analyze the ‎data.‎
Findings: The results revealed eight economic benefits, six social benefits, six environmental ‎benefits, and nine managerial benefits of nature-based tourism. In the economic dimension, job ‎creation (weight: 0.186) and improvement of local livelihoods (weight: 0.168) were identified as ‎the most significant. In the social dimension, reducing rural migration (weight: 0.316) and ‎strengthening local culture and identity (weight: 0.108) were the most and least important, ‎respectively. In the environmental dimension, reducing pressure on natural resources (weight: ‎‎0.276) and increasing financial resources for conservation (weight: 0.215) were the most crucial ‎factors. In the managerial dimension, enhancing competitiveness against other ecotourism ‎destinations (weight: 0.155) and strengthening regional identity and rural branding (weight: ‎‎0.061) held the highest and lowest significance, respectively. Four economic opportunities, four ‎social opportunities, five environmental opportunities, and seven managerial opportunities were ‎identified. Diversifying the local economy and reducing dependence on natural resources (weight: ‎‎0.313) was the most significant economic opportunity, while empowering and socially engaging ‎local communities (weight: 0.435) ranked highest in the social dimension. In the environmental ‎dimension, strengthening local participation in resource conservation (weight: 0.284) was the ‎most critical, whereas improving sustainable management and planning of ecotourism areas ‎‎(weight: 0.199) received the highest priority in the managerial dimension. The study also examined ‎economic, social, environmental, and managerial costs. In the economic dimension, high ‎infrastructure costs for establishment (weight: 0.210) and endangerment of production and ‎agricultural jobs (weight: 0.111) were the most and least significant costs, respectively. In the ‎social dimension, increased pressure on public services (weight: 0.475) was the most significant ‎cost. In the environmental dimension, land-use changes (weight: 0.398) and noise pollution ‎‎(weight: 0.098) were the most and least significant, respectively. In the managerial dimension, high ‎initial investment requirements (weight: 0.177) and training and development costs for employees ‎‎(weight: 0.069) had the lowest significance. In terms of risks, failure to attract large-scale ‎investors (weight: 0.267) was the most significant economic risk, while creating stress and ‎pressure exceeding the area’s carrying capacity (weight: 0.434) was the highest social risk. Forest ‎fire hazards (weight: 0.203) ranked highest in the environmental dimension, and the risk of ‎cooperation failure due to conflicts of interest (weight: 0.327) was the most significant managerial ‎risk. Conversely, the risk of reduced destination appeals due to rapid and unplanned ‎development (weight: 0.055) was identified as the least significant among all risks.‎
Conclusion: The findings of this study highlight that nature-based tourism in West Azerbaijan ‎Province can offer numerous benefits, including job creation, improved local livelihoods, reduced ‎pressure on natural resources, and strengthened cultural identity. However, challenges such as high ‎infrastructure costs, increased pressure on public services, and managerial risks also exist. Achieving ‎sustainable management of the nature-based tourism value chain requires collaboration among ‎governments, local communities, and the private sector. To achieve sustainable development, the ‎study recommends improving tourism infrastructure, implementing comprehensive and targeted ‎planning, and engaging in effective destination branding to attract international tourists. Moreover, ‎empowering local communities and actively involving them in natural resource management are of ‎paramount importance. These findings provide a solid foundation for policymakers to develop and ‎implement sustainable tourism strategies in similar regions.‎‏ ‏West Azerbaijan requires coordination ‎between the government, local communities, and the private sector. It is suggested that potential ‎problems be prevented by improving infrastructure, destination branding, and monitoring the ‎development of nature tourism. The results of this research can help in more precise planning to ‎achieve sustainable development in this sector.‎