Investigating the Contribution of Tourism to Economic Development in Golestan Province

The tourism industry as an emerging industry with distinctive and unique features has been the main economic activities in developed and developing countries. Golestan province with beautiful nature and unique landscapes has more than 350 diverse and valuable natural attractions. In this respect, it is one of the ecotourism hubs of Iran. This province as a part of the vast territory of Iran has a brilliant history and was the main center of the establishment of Aryan civilization in the north of Iran. In this geographic area, there are more than 1100 historical monuments. To take advantage of these valuable and diverse capabilities in tourism industry is regarded as important economic resources. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of tourism in economic development of Golestan province. The present research is applied and its method, which was based on a case study, is a descriptive – analytical one. Statistical population included all experts in public and private organizations and institutions active in the field of tourism in Golestan province. Sample size of 195 subjects was determined based on the Cochran formula. Sampling method was purposive sampling (availability sampling). The data was collected via questionnaire and interview. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were used to measure reliability and validity of the instruments. Spss software was used for data processing. Hypotheses were analyzed by using chi-square test. The results indicated that tourism has a positive effect on employment development, increasing investments, improving income levels and quality of life indicators in Golestan province.