The Role of Entrepreneurship in Rural Areas Development by Emphasis on Tourism (Case Study: Hesar-e-valiasr County- Avaj Township)

Rural development experts, by taking into account of advantages and positive impacts of tourism activities in creating income and job opportunities, consider it as a new choice in creating commercial added value, a factor of creating relation between economic sectors of these areas and finally as a tool for economic diversification and local communities development. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of rural tourism in creating contexts of entrepreneurship in Hesar-e-Valiasr County (Avaj Township- Qazvin Province). The research method is analytical– descriptive based on data collection by using questionnaires. The research population includes 4 villages of Kameshkan, Esmaeelabad, Changureh and Mashhad in which the number of second homesin turism is more than 50 percent of existing homes. Therefore, from 404 permanent households in these villages, the researches only managed to get approval and cooperation of 112 heads of households that include a little more than 25 percent of the research population. For data analysis, statistical tests such as One sample T test and Friedman (for the analysis of ranking mean and) and Kruskal Wallis (for the investigation of ranking mean among sample villages) were used.Theresearch results show that tourism has been able lead to the improvement of entrepreneurship among settled respondents in sample villages. On the other hand, due to the effectiveness of these activities in all villages, high difference among target villages of second homes tourists in entrepreneurship indexes hasnt been observed. Also, the results of performed analyses in 4 main second homes tourism destination villages in Hesar-e-Valiasr County by the use of Kruskal Wallis analysis show that Kameshkan is in higher rank than the other villages in the indexes of diversification of family income resources in rural area, risk acceptance in activities, generating new jobs, and the improvement of individual and family job status. In the index of tourism resources management, Esmaeelabad and in the indexes of creativity and providence, Changureh are in the higher rank to the other studied villages.