Intergenerational Mobility VS Heritage Tourism in Hawraman

Abstract

The current study aims and issues to investigate and interpret the relationship between cultural heritage tourism and intergenerational social mobility in the Hawraman region of Iran. Due to the conditions and requirements of the research, a mixed-method design has been selected to conduct the study. In the first phase of the research, a survey on the impact of heritage tourism on intergenerational mobility in the Hawraman region was conducted among 354 local community members. Using SPSS software, the data from this section were analyzed. Then, a grounded theory approach was employed to fulfill the aims of the research's second phase. Here, the required data was obtained from 17 "in-depth and free interviews" with native participants whose businesses were related to heritage tourism. The findings in the first part of the research show a significant correlation between heritage tourism as the independent variable and social mobility as the dependent variable. In the second part, 33 sub-categories and 12 major categories related to the impact of heritage tourism on social mobility were identified. The results indicate that heritage tourism has transformed the local economy in a way that has led to the social mobility of the current generation. This study has some useful implications both for policymakers and researchers to have a better image of heritage tourism establishments, their requirements, and impacts in the Hawraman region of Kurdistan province of Iran.

Keywords

• heritage tourism
• social mobility
• mixed methid research
• hawraman region