Presenting a Framework for Developing Ecotourism in Kermanshah Province's Target tourism Villages

Ecotourism is a sustainable strategy for earning revenues while preserving natural resources. Therefore, this study set out to provide a framework for developing ecotourism in Kermanshah province's target tourism villages using grounded theory. The required data were collected via semi-structured interviews with 20 experts who were selected through snowball sampling. The collected data were then analyzed in Maxqda12 software using open coding, axial coding, and selective coding approach, resulting in 433 codes, 124 concepts, 23 sub-categories, and 6 main categories. The main categories of the model included causal categories (participatory, economic, regional attractions and potentials, policy, social and cultural, managerial, infrastructure, ecotourism services and facilities, and the core category of ecotourism development), intervening categories (economic, managerial, and educational), strategic categories (economic and educational), and consequential categories (positive and negative economic consequences, and social, cultural and environmental consequences) were grouped together in a paradigmatic framework.