Explanation on Sustainability Indicators for Assessing the Effects of Tourism Patterns in Rural Areas in Around Metropolises (Case study: Rural Areas in the Around of Tehran Metropolis)

According to various natural, cultural and man-made attractions in rural areas, there is a variety of tourism patterns presented in different taxonomies based on different standards and criteria. Second home tourism and same day visiting are the common patterns in most rural areas in the country, particularly in mountainous areas surrounding the metropolitan regions. Tehran is a metropolis whose mountainous villages, due to their particular characteristics, are considered among the most important rural areas in the country. Because of having two tourism patterns as well as enjoying particular potentials, these areas have always been the target of researchers as the study area for their studies on tourism. To date, evaluating sustainability of the existing tourism patterns has been largely ignored in these studies since each pattern generates different effects. It is thus essential to evaluate the sustainability of rural tourism patterns and provide appropriate strategies for sustainable development. Depending on different locations, the process of evaluating sustainability of rural tourism patterns requires thorough and comprehensive indicators and indices. Countless indicators and indices have been hitherto provided by organizations and experts in tourism. The significant issue is, therefore, localization, documentation, and operationalization of such indicators, since the set of indicators appropriate to a specified tourism area is not necessarily appropriate to another area. The question in the present study concerns according to sustainability indicators and indices in rural tourism, what are the indicators and indices for evaluating sustainability for evaluating the effects of tourism patterns in rural areas surrounding Tehran metropolis?