Effective Factors on Raising the Interest of the People of Tehran in Ecotourism

Ecotourism is a sector of Tourism industry with a 30 percent annual growth. Considering the wide range of out-standing natural attractions in Iran, this country has been rated as one of the 5 leading countries for its natural attractiveness, as a result by further investment in local and international ecotourism, while redistribution of incomes throughout the country could be realized, a huge volume of foreign exchange revenues would be attracted by this country. This research investigates major factors which could affect on the interest of Tehran's people in Ecotourism in terms of two overall groups of variables, "destination based" and "intrinsic motivations". In this survey research a questionnaire was prepared and distributed among 500 sample people selected from the considered population (people of Tehran). Answers were analyzed by SPSS statistical software and major destination based and intrinsic motivational factors were identified as a result. Meanwhile the responder's preferences regarding the types of natural attractions, types of accommodation facilities and types of tourism information sources were assessed. The results showed that among destination based factors only the organized eco-tours availability was the.