responsible tourism

Purpose: The examination, investigating and relationship between costs, benefit and attachment to the environment by mediating behavioral attitudes among sports tourists. Method: The population of the study consisted of all sports spectators of 27th Fajr Open and Esteghlal vs. Tractor rematch from 15th Persian Gulf Pro League. According to Kukran formula sample size was equal to 722 persons. 920 questionnaires distributed among population that 722 questionnaires were analyzed. In order to collect data a self-made questionnaire was used which it's validity confirmed by 5 sports teachers of Razi and Tehran university and variables reliability was calculated by using Cronbach's alpha coefficient which was equal to 0.89. Data analysis done by using the descriptive and inferential statistics include Kolmogorov–Smirnov, Pearson correlation, path analysis of structural equations, Regression and also AMOS-21 and SPSS-22. The results showed that environmental communication should be formed within the right framework, encourage people to Environmentally Responsible Behavior through a bonus is not necessarily effective and doesn't encourage sports spectator. Results: Result showed that spectators display more cooperation through targeting for enjoyment and are sensitive toward any perceived cost in the implementation of Environmentally Responsible Behavior. The result also showed if cooperation with Environmental Management System doesn't take too much time and totally doesn't interfere with their enjoyment of watching match, they will support it automatically. The results also suggest the need to design efficient equipment to ensure ease of use and as a result reducing the perceived cost associated with Environmentally Responsible Behavior. Conclusions: Sports event owners can encourage spectators to do the Environmentally Responsible Behavior by connecting with them and also induce this fact to spectators that associate with the event can assist them to experience higher quality events in the future.

Purpose- Protected Area Tourism, despite its economic potential, can pose threats to natural resources and disrupt the balance of rural regions if not properly managed. This study aims to propose strategies for achieving sustainable rural development through tourism while simultaneously conserving environmental values in the Khartouran protected area. The village of Qaleh Bala in Shahrud was selected as the case study. Design/methodology/approach- This research employed a qualitative approach using thematic analysis based on nine semi-structured interviews with tourism stakeholders. Participants were selected through purposive sampling until theoretical saturation was reached. Data analysis followed Braun and Clarke’s six-phase framework, and the process was conducted using MAXQDA software. Findings- The results reveal that the impacts of tourism on rural development fall into three dimensions: economic, sociocultural, and environmental. Economically, tourism has contributed to diversifying the local economy, creating jobs, and increasing income. However, it has also raised the cost of living, generated unstable employment, and intensified the village’s economic dependency on nearby cities. In the sociocultural dimension, interactions between tourists and residents have revived handicrafts, strengthened local identity, and enhanced social interactions. Yet, they have also led to cultural clashes, lifestyle changes, and the weakening of traditional values. Environmentally, tourism has raised ecological awareness and reduced pressure on natural resources by decreasing reliance on agriculture and livestock. Nevertheless, the high volume of tourists has increased stress on water and soil resources, resulting in ecosystem degradation. For sustainable management of tourism in protected areas, effective strategies include developing comprehensive plans, educating local communities and tourists, enforcing strict environmental regulations, improving sustainable infrastructure, promoting ecotourism, diversifying rural livelihoods, and ensuring continuous monitoring of tourism activities. Originality / Value- By adopting a qualitative approach and focusing on one of Iran’s most ecologically sensitive regions, this study provides an in-depth, multidimensional analysis of tourism impacts in protected areas. Its innovation lies in simultaneously identifying both the positive and negative effects of tourism across economic, sociocultural, and environmental dimensions and in offering realistic, context-specific management strategies to foster sustainable rural development within the framework of environmental conservation.