Presenting a sustainable development model for rural tourism destinations in Jarghoyeh County

Subject Areas :

Neda Motamedi ¹ , Amir Gandomkar ² , Hosein Soleymani ³ , Ahmad Khademolhoseini ⁴

1 - PhD student, Department of Geography, Na.C., Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran.
2 - . Associate Professor, Department of Geography, Na.C., Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran.
3 - Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Na.C., Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran.
4 - Associate Professor, Department of Geography, Na.C., Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran.

Received: 2025-06-04 Accepted : 2025-07-23 Published : 2025-10-13

Keywords: sustainable development, tourism destination, rural development, Jarghoyeh County,

Abstract :

Rural tourism development is recognized as a potential solution to many challenges in rural areas and contributes significantly across economic, social, and environmental dimensions. This study aimed to propose a sustainable development model for rural tourism destinations in Jarghoyeh County. A questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale and comprising economic, social, and physical–environmental criteria was administered to experts, tourists, and residents. Data analysis employed t-tests to assess village conditions, the Friedman test to rank criteria and villages, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare villages. Results showed that tourists prioritized satisfaction with local products in the economic dimension, social relations in the social dimension, and environmental health in the physical–environmental dimension. Residents emphasized local marketing in the economic dimension, accessibility in the social dimension, and infrastructure development in the environmental dimension. Overall, three models emerged: the marketing development model (economic), the cooperation and partnership model (social), and the development and improvement model (physical–environmental).