Designing a Model of Iran’s Nature Tourism Ecosystem Based on the World Tourism Program
Keywords:
nature tourism ecosystem, global tourism program, sustainable developmentAbstract
This study aimed to design and validate a model of Iran’s nature tourism ecosystem based on the World Tourism Program. This applied study used a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design within a pragmatic paradigm. The qualitative phase was conducted through thematic analysis, while the quantitative phase followed a descriptive-analytical survey/correlational design. The qualitative population included university professors, managers and officials of tourism organizations, and civil activists. Based on purposive sampling and theoretical saturation, 20 participants were selected for semi-structured interviews. In the quantitative phase, the statistical population consisted of employees of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, from whom 354 participants were selected through stratified sampling. Qualitative data were collected through interviews, and quantitative data were gathered using researcher-made questionnaires designed to assess the validity of the proposed model. Qualitative data were analyzed using MAXQDA, and quantitative analyses, including confirmatory factor analysis and one-sample t-tests, were performed using SPSS and SmartPLS. The thematic analysis resulted in 66 basic themes and four main dimensions: economic development of nature tourism, social development of nature tourism, environmental development, and cultural development. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that all factor loadings exceeded 0.50, and all t-values were greater than 2.58, confirming the significance of the measurement model at the 99% confidence level. The goodness-of-fit index was 0.445, and the NFI value was 0.952, indicating acceptable model fit. Predictive relevance indices were also at a desirable level. The one-sample t-test confirmed the model’s external validity with a mean of 4.20 and t=5.00, and its internal validity with a mean of 4.45 and t=10.20, both significant at p<0.001. The proposed model had satisfactory validity and can serve as an integrated framework for sustainable policy-making, planning, and management of Iran’s nature tourism ecosystem in alignment with global tourism priorities.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Mohsen Saemi (Author); Behzad Souki ; Hossein Shirazi, Diako Abbasi (Author)
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