Evaluation of the Impact of Religious Tourism on the Entrepreneurship Development of Peripheral Villages (Case Study: Garepooshtloo Region – Zanjan County)

Abstract

Extended Abstract 1. INTRODUCTION Tourism is one of the most efficient processes used to encourage economic growth in countries that due to producing single product or limited energy sources have motionless and vulnerable economic system. In other words, tourism in modern terms is considered a phenomenon which is an inseparable part of today’s industrial society and is an important “ring” in the chain of recycling in the society. Therefore, entrepreneurial activities of religious tourism in rural settlements, fundamental acceptance of synthetic responsibilities against people (occupation, hygiene, education, human rights, benefits, continuity of financial and economical incomes as well as conservation of resources and environment) are considered as undeniable necessities for a good entrepreneurship by companies and organizations, and a great switch is being undertaken from maximization of value for stock-holders to maximization of value beneficiaries. The objective of the current research is to study the beneficial effects of religious tourism entrepreneurship in rural areas and their possible effects on economic growth along with rural development in the rural areas. 1- Does increasing tourism have a positive effect on entrepreneurship space in rural areas? 2- Does increasing tourism have a positive effect on occupation income and decreasing emigration from villages to cities in the case study rural area? 2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK In terms of rural tourism, we can state that, on one hand, preparing new opportunities for most of villages brings livelihood, and that on the other hand, uncontrolled development of those areas leads to social and ecological damages in rural accommodation. The surveys reveal that the development of tourism in rural areas can have positive effects such as life quality, increasing rural population's cooperation, increasing mental health of the rural population and economic stability. One of the most important types of tourism that can have good effects in the development of rural areas is supposed to be religious tourism. The evidences left from great civilizations of the Middle East and ancient Egypt and etc., and also the evidences remained before history reveal that from very long time ago a lot of people set off for religious travels, in a way that huge mass of pilgrimages had accepted any kind of danger in order to do their religious duties and even had started very long travels in order to do so. In fact, religious wandering and tourism has a deep “root” in religious beliefs and credence’s of people. Hence, entrepreneurial activities of religious tourism in rural settlements, fundamentals acceptance of synthetic responsibilities against people (occupation, hygiene, education, human rights, benefits, continuity of financial and economical incomes, and also conservation of resources and environment) is considered as an undeniable necessity for a good entrepreneurship by companies and organizations, and a great switch is being undertaken from maximization of value for stock-holders to maximization of value beneficiaries. 3.METHODOLOGY This study is an applied research and in the present study explanation of religious tourism and its effects on rural development has been studied. This study is a practical one and the descriptive-analytical methodology has been used, the data were collected through field and library data collection methods (questionnaire, questioning and observation) and the descriptive statistic methodology (e.g., calculation of frequency, variance, and the mean value) and deductive methodology (e.g., the correlation coefficient, the single sample T parameter, the Tokay test and the Freedman test) were used to analyze the data. 4. DISCUSSION The importance of this study lies in emergence of obstacles to the creation of entrepreneurial ideas in the field of religious tourism and investigation affecting factors on employment, income and migration in rural settlements. 5. CONCLUSION The results of the present study indicate that religious tourism had not effect on the creation of entrepreneurial ideas; however, among different component of occupation, income and immigration, occupation was the only aspect influenced by religious however apparently non-native settlers and the households settled in vicinity of the holey shrine of Imamzde Hajiseirn were influenced more than the others.