Analyzing the Local-Spatial Consequences of the Development of Tourism Economy with an entrepreneurial Approach in Rural Areas (Case Study: Samen District in Malayer County)

Abstract

Purpose- The formation of various economic activities has always been accompanied by changes in this geographical space. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the local-spatial consequences of the development of tourism economy with an entrepreneurial approach in rural areas of Samen District in Malayer County. Design/methodology/approach- This study is an applied one. According to the method, it is descriptive-analytical. To fulfill the purpose of the study, field study and survey were used. Its reliability was calculated using Cronbach's alpha test for 4 components of economic, social, physical, and environmental consequences with the values of 0.90, 0.90, 0.99 and 0.97, respectively. Thus, the research tool was considered appropriate. Factor analysis was used to analyze the data using SPSS (version 20). Findings- The results showed that the local-spatial consequences of the development of tourism economy with an entrepreneurial approach can be considered in six classified factors under the following headings: Development of physical and environmental capital (40.54%), development of rural tourism service platforms (22.98%), social and improving capital of local communities (11.84%), development of economic capital and employment of local communities (7.49%) , expansion of tourism economy development infrastructure (3.37%), and the entrepreneurial capital factor and the development of local communities (2.54%). These six consequences explain the variance of all variables for the total of 88.76% Research limitations/implications- More than half of entrepreneurs neither use a specific marketing and tourism strategy to sell their products, nor have a website. Lack of access to infrastructure such as the internet and accommodation opportunity has created limitations for the development of the tourism entrepreneurial economy in the rural areas of Malayer. Practical implications- In order to achieve the development of tourism entrepreneurship in rural areas, it is recommended to pay special attention to the development of rural environmental capital, security and development of infrastructure and basic services, and development of social and improving capital of local communities in the region. Since most of the tourists entering Malayer have commercial purposes, the development of rural services such as the travel agencies and active tours in the village, the presence of internet cafes for tourists in the village, automobile repair shops, insurance offices, local restaurants and ecolodges seem to be essential. Originality/Value: To understand the dynamics and consequences of the development of tourism economy, the entrepreneurial approach was used in the form of Porter’s tourism impact model. It led to the measurement of local-spatial consequences in this area.