Impacts of Tourism on Rural Development: Attitudes of Rural People in Kan Vally and Sooleghan Subdistrict in Tehran County

The purpose of this study is to understand the socio-economic and environmental impacts of tourism in the villages of Kan valley which have the tourism capability. The results indicated that tourism has a narrow economic impact which is limited to small income and employment generation while it contributes to inflation and land speculation. From the social perspective, tourism has more potentials such as raising literacy, personal hygiene, interactions with neighboring areas and reducing migration. From the environmental perspective, the visit of tourists can lead to the destruction of plant and animal diversity, rising of pollution and environmental degradation. Therefore, an appropriate planning and attempts to optimize tourist visits can improve the economic and consequently environmental-structural and social conditions of villages in the region.