Investigating A Conceptual Link Between Tourism and Social Capital in the Development and Transformation of Society: A Mixed-Method Study

As a multifaceted phenomenon, tourism has traditionally existed in different dimensions and areas of society. On the other hand, there are some basic concepts in sociology such as social capital, which, together with the concept of tourism, can foster social development and evolution. Therefore, this study sought to develop a model in terms of a conceptual link between tourism and social capital to be used for the development and evolution of society using mixed-method research. To this end, the study used the partially mixed sequential dominant status design approach conducted in three qualitative-qualitative-quantitative phases, according to which systematic review, thematic analysis, and modified Delphi methods were used, respectively. According to the findings of the study, in the first phase, twenty-six English and Persian articles were selected out of 211 reviewed articles using the systematic review method. In the second phase, the data collected through semi-structured interviews were analyzed via the thematic analysis method, according to which sixty-seven basic themes, twenty-six organizing themes, and four inclusive themes were identified and extracted. In the third phase, three rounds of Delphi were conducted to validate the components of the model and examine the extent of the experts’ consensus in this regard using the modified Delphi method. Accordingly, all the experts confirmed the validity of the model’s components. The results of the study indicate the pivotal role of components such as "Providing social support, participating in tourism, observing the civil rights, strengthening social, cultural, and economic infrastructure, etc. in creating a link between tourism and social capital, which can pave the ground for fostering social developments.