نشریه فضای گردشگری
پیاپی 45 (زمستان 1401)

Due to its unique location and importance, Aras Free Zone has several aspects, including the natural environment, population, higher education, added value in various sectors, investments, and customs. Based on these capacities, it serves as the center and beating heart of Azerbaijan. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the geo-economics of the South Caucasus region in terms of tourism using the SWOT model. This descriptive-survey research has an applied nature and is cross-sectional in terms of time. The statistical population consists of experts and specialists in tourism and political geography related to the issues of the Aras Free Zone and the South Caucasus. Fifty individuals were selected in a targeted manner for this study. The SWOT method was used for analysis during the year 1400. Results showed that one of the weaknesses of the study is the strained political relations between Iran and Azerbaijan in the region. On the other hand, the communication role of the South Caucasus region between Iran and various European countries is a significant geo-economic advantage, making it a critical communication and transit bridge between Iran and Europe. The possibility of establishing a communication route between the eastern and western seas presents both a threat factor and an opportunity for its communication role between Iran and various European countries. Keywords: Aras Free Zone, South Caucasus, Geo-economic Situation, SWOT Model.

Achieving a creative society requires the existence of a creative class, and it seems that one of the appropriate ways to recognize and attract the creative class is to use the tourism industry. Creativity in the field of tourism is a new approach to the structural dimensions of the city and region. Therefore, the current research is trying to evaluate the tourism potential of Behshahr; to investigate the potential and capacities of this region to create creative tourism. The present research is based on descriptive-analytical approaches. The data was collected from documentary studies and field surveys in the form of questionnaires. To examine the research variables, four major tourism indicators including historical, architectural, natural, sociocultural, and infrastructure attractions, as well as five basic indicators of the realization of a creative city have been evaluated. To analyze the data and evaluate the tourism potential of the study area, the SPSS was applied and Friedman and T-tests were used. The results of the research related to the creation of creative tourism indicated that Behshahr has potential and capacity in terms of the given indicators. Also, the results of the t-test in connection with the investigation of the feasibility of creative tourism in Behshahr indicated that among the components, social capital is at a higher level and the leadership and management component is at a lower level compared with the levels of other components. The results of the Friedman test also showed that the four indicators of social capital, risk-taking, initiative, innovation, flexibility, and acceptance are in a favorable situation in terms of forming creative tourism.

In recent years, especially in developing countries, medical tourism has become an important business. Medical tourism in countries has resulted in generating economic revenue, GDP development, increased job creation, preventing brain drain, and improving infrastructure. Considering that Iran is a single-product country, the development of the tourism industry as a strong source of currency can cause the country's economic prosperity. The main objectives of the research are the development of the health sector and the creation of a medical tourism hub in the province, and the development of the job market of the service sector. The type of research is applied and its method is descriptive-analytical. Data were collected through books, articles, dissertations, related research, field data, and questionnaires (based on the Likert scale) The statistical population of the study consisted of specialists in tourism and medical affairs of Tabriz, whose questionnaire consisted of 25 items in four parts: political factors, insurance factor, residential facilities factors, and hospital and pharmacological factors that have been distributed among 200 people and the results have been analyzed using the SPSS software. Based on the results of the data, the hospital factor with 33%, the residential facilities factor with 30%, the political factor with 22%, and the insurance factor with 15% are the priorities of one to four effective factors in attracting medical tourism in hospital towns, respectively.

Geotourism is a type of tourism that focuses on both natural and man-made points of interest. In geotourism, geomorphological phenomena are considered more significant than other geological phenomena. This kind of tourism is not only for specialists and experts in geomorphology and geology but also for ordinary tourists and nature enthusiasts. The purpose of this research is to evaluate and analyze the potential geotourism destinations in Ardabil Province, with a specific focus on geomorphological sites. Hadzik and Fiolet's methods were used for the study. In Hadzik's model, the value and importance of each geotourism site were estimated based on scientific value and surplus values. Fiolet's model was analyzed based on management and tourism rates and their respective value ranges. The results of Hadzik's model showed that the geotourism areas of Nair, Nemin, and Heer had values of 36.22, 29.48, and 51.69, respectively. Based on these values, the geotourism area of Hir has high and relatively good potential compared to the other two areas. The results of Fiolet's model also showed that the geotourism areas of Hir had the highest score, followed by Nair and Nemin, in terms of geotourism capabilities. Therefore, it can be concluded that the geotourism area of Heir has more attraction power for the development of geotourism than the other studied areas. Additionally, future studies to identify new geotourism areas should consider conducting online studies and tourism-based surveys.

Coastal tourism is considered to be one of the fastest-growing sectors in the global tourism industry. This research uses a descriptive-analytic method to identify the factors affecting sustainable tourism development in the coastal city of Gomishan-Tapeh, using the SWOT strategic analysis technique. The type of research is practical and data are collected through documentation and fieldwork. The statistical population of the study includes 18 experts and professors in the field of tourism, and a questionnaire was used to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of the internal and external factors. The results show that the responsible tourism organizations in Gomishan-Tapeh face numerous weaknesses and threats in their efforts to develop a strategic plan for coastal tourism, while also having some strengths and opportunities. The weight coefficient of each internal and external factor was determined using the SWOT matrix. Among the internal and external factors, opportunities have the highest priority with a weight of 4.139, while weaknesses have the lowest priority with a weight of 3.680. The research suggests that the most favorable strategy for achieving sustainable coastal tourism development in Gomishan-Tapeh is a competitive or aggressive strategy, which has the highest priority.

Tourism development in any region requires attention to certain indicators and their improvement. One of the most important elements related to tourism is cultural elements. This research aims to investigate the impact of cultural elements on the development of tourism in Dezpart County. The research method is based on the objective, descriptive-analytical and quantitative approach. The data collection tool was a questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by the elites of the society and its reliability was also confirmed using Cronbach's alpha test (0.79). The statistical population of the research was made up of experts from the administrative offices in Dezpart County. Exact statistics on the number of available experts were not available, but 50 experts were surveyed in this study. The findings showed that the tourism development indicators, except for two variables of historical-cultural attractions with an average of 3.66 and security with an average of 3.68, do not have a desirable status in the region. Pearson correlation indicates that there is a relationship between cultural elements and tourism development. It was found through regression analysis that the highest impact on regional tourism development is related to the variable of historical and cultural attractions with a coefficient of 0.163, followed by education and literacy with a coefficient of 0.132. Therefore, the cultural elements of the region have the potential to develop tourism and overcome existing challenges. Four cultural strategies are proposed for tourism development, including participation and community organizations, management and planning of services, education and skilled workforce, and empowerment of women.

Tourism is a community-based industry, and the participation of residents is crucial for its success and long-term sustainability. This research aims to explore the role of social participation components of local residents in reducing the negative consequences of rural tourism in the central part of Faridan. The research is of an applied type, and in terms of research method, it is a descriptive-survey type based on a questionnaire. The statistical population of the research includes the residents of villages in the central part of Faridan, which according to the last census of 2015, is equal to 14,050 people and 4,673 households. Using Cochran's formula, a sample size of 375 people was sampled. A researcher-made questionnaire was used as the measuring instrument and the face validity was verified by a panel of experts. Its reliability was calculated based on Cronbach's alpha formula, ranging between 0.963 and 0.776 for different components. The questionnaire was randomly distributed among the residents based on the distribution of the village population. The findings suggest a positive and significant relationship between all the effective components of the research (social participation) and the socio-cultural variable. In the regression test, it was found that the educational level had a more significant effect compared to other variables in improving rural tourism. Therefore, increasing participation through social capital can lead to the improvement of tourism and the reduction of the social consequences of tourism in the villages of the studied region.

In recent years, tourism has emerged as a smoke-free industry and has become a substantial source of income for many countries in world trade. It is also an important element in improving and regulating the trade balance and balance of payments. Therefore, strategic planning for the development of this industry has become crucial in most countries. The purpose of this study is to identify effective drivers in the strategic planning of tourism development in Tabriz. The research method used in this study is both applied and descriptive-analytical. The statistical population of the study includes approximately 2000 people, which comprises managers, officials, urban experts, and academic elites of Tabriz. The sample size was estimated at 340 based on the modified Cochran model. The research data was analyzed using the partial least squares model in Warp-PLS software. The findings indicate that the most important drivers of tourism development with a focus on historical-cultural tourism are related to legal-political, economic-marketing, and managerial drives, respectively. The coefficients extracted based on the structural model of the research for each driver are 0.71, 0.65, and 0.53. Among the sub-variables, the most influential ones are related to measures such as correcting negative perceptions and eliminating Iranophobia to increase motivation for traveling to Iran, enhancing international tourism cooperation, removing barriers such as bureaucratic regulations and accommodation issues, providing proper information and advertising in target markets, building institutional interaction and trust between public and private bodies, using participation, establishing accommodation facilities that comply with international standards, and providing facilities based on the nationality and culture of tourists through an appropriate needs assessment of their preferences.