مسکن و محیط روستا (Dec 2016)
Objectives, elements and necessities of Rural tourism planning with emphasis on eco-tourism (Case study: shiadeh village, Babol, Iran)
Abstract
The villages are special settlements and habitats that follow a certain economic, social, cultural and physical order. However, many of them have nowadays encountered issues and problems such as decaying indigenous rural fabric, reduced quality of life, distortion of the inhabitants’ cultural identity and migration from rural communities. In addition, despite having agricultural natural resources, the villages are facing with issues such as poverty, unemployment, low productivity rates in agricultural productions and degradation of natural resources that such issues have made the rural development and sustainable employment rather impossible, which calls for other economic alternatives such as tourism to be considered. Shiadeh village in south of Babol, due to its distance from congested urban areas, is less developed and has low economic growth suffering from relative physical and social deterioration. Meanwhile, the village is located in a tranquil and pristine natural environment in the rainforests, and construction of an earthen dam on its side has led to creation of a lake and stunning vistas and landscapes in this region. The Village also has several important structures including four Saqatalars. Such attractions may provide the possibility of holistic sustainable development through planning countryside Eco-Tourism. This study on one hand, aims to identify and recognize the nature of the village and rural sustainable development, and on the other hand attempt to apprehend the issues related to tourism, rural tourism and sustainable tourism. Associating needs and necessities in this study is conducted through content analysis in first section as well as case study with SWOT framework. Finally, based on elements and components of rural tourism and the requisite program by the possible tourism patterns within the area, a set of "guidelines of protection, promotion and monitoring" the development of Eco-Tourism Shiadeh village is developed. Then the "Shiadeh Eco-Tourism plan" will be presented via axes, spots and areas with special attention to attractions and their relation to residential areas.
