Assessing the Rural Tourism Sustainability: A Case Study of Horeh Sub-district in Chahar-Mahal and Bakhtiyari Province of Iran

The purpose of this research was to assess the tourism sustainability in Horeh sub-district of Chahar-Mahal and Bakhtiyari province of Iran. It was an applied research conducted in a descriptive-analytical method. The required data were collected in both documentary and field methods. The statistical population consisted of 3267 households as well as tourists in the villages of Horeh sub-district. The total sample size was 344 household heads and 170 tourists. The results showed a low sustainability of the studied rural areas in the environmental, economic and social dimensions. In this regard, the least average amounts of sustainability were related to the indicators including pollution (0.205), security (0.305) and land resources (0.316); and the best condition was related to the indicators including increased awareness (0.497), immigration control (0.415), and justice and economic welfare (0.410). Accordingly, planning for sustainable tourism development was found to be a fundamental requirement for improving the living conditions within the studied area.