An Analysis of the Effects of Establishing Ecotourism Residence on Development of Rural Settlements (A Case Study of Radakan Village, Chenaran County)

The establishment of ecotourism residence in villages around large cities with historical and natural monuments has grown in recent years and is backed by relevant organizations. On the other hand, the problems of urbanization and the love of nature in human beings lead them into nature and quiet regions. Therefore, this is a good opportunity for the rural development through tourism and its services. This research particularly seeks to analyze the effects of establishing ecotourism residence on the development of rural settlements in the Radakan village, Chenaran County. This study is an applied research conducted in a descriptive-survey method. The population of the study consisted of residents of Radakan village (N = 3734). The sample size based on Cochran formula was 146 villagers which were randomly selected. The main tool for collecting the data and measuring the variables of the study is questionnaire. Validation (validity) indicators were evaluated and judged by 10 judges specializing in tourism studies.The reliability coefficient of the questionnaire was also confirmed by Cronbach's test (with a value of 0.91) at a high level. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software in factor analysis. The results of the research from the reduction of 37 variables indicate that 8 extracted factors accounts for 88.69% of the variance, indicating that factor analysis and the variables were satisfactory. Accordingly, the job creation factor that explains 21.65% of the 20 impact of the ecotourism residence includes the variables of direct and indirect employment, the expansion of employment opportunities for women, and creation of new employment opportunities. The factor of increasing the production and income with variance of 18.69 and local identity enhancement factor with the variance of 14.23 and the highest percentage, and the physicalarchitectural (with variance of 4.75) and socio-cultural factors (with variance of 3.12) have the least impact on the development of Radakan village through ecotourism residence. Besides, according to the results of single sample t-test, the fourth factor (boom in service sector) with the statistic 9.11 and the first factor (job creation) with the statistic 8.62, have had the greatest role.