Decision-Making Framework to Examine the Factors Affecting the Development of Coastal Tourism in Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Tourism Management, University of Yazd, Yazd, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Tourism Management, University of Yazd , Yazd, Iran.

Abstract

Coastal tourism has the potential to provide economic and employment opportunities in destination countries. This research aimed to evaluate the factors influencing the development of coastal tourism in Iran using a multi-criteria decision-making methods. Therefore,  the influential factors in the development of coastal tourism in Iran were identified using literature review, expert opinions, and the fuzzy Delphi method. This research was exploratory in terms of purpose, applied in nature, and employed a survey method for data collection. The research population consisted of experts in the field of coastal tourism in Iran. A judgmental sampling method was used to select the sample. After collecting the data, the importance and weight of each factor were identified by Shannon’s entropy method. Then, using the additive ratio assessment (ARAS) method, factors were evaluated and prioritized. According to the entropy method, the factor "marketing and advertising about tourist attractions in coastal areas" was the most important in the development of coastal tourism in Iran. The results of the ARAS method showed that among the factors affecting the development of coastal tourism in Iran, "security of coastal areas", "creation of employment opportunities and attention to local products and businesses in coastal areas" and "recreational facilities in coastal areas" had the highest priority.
 
Extended Abstract
Introduction
In a destination, the development of a tourist attraction plays an important role in generating appropriate economic income and attracting people to visit a specific area. One of the types of tourist attractions is beach tourism. Coastal tourism has witnessed the highest growth rate globally, with a remarkable trend of expansion in recent decades. According to the statistics published by the World Tourism Organization, it has become the largest source of global income in the new millennium. Due to its proximity to the Caspian Sea in the north and the Persian Gulf in the south, Iran has the most beautiful beaches for those who are interested in sea and beach recreation. Currently, the share of employment and production in the country related to the field of coastal tourism is very small considering the existing capabilities in this field. Therefore, it is necessary to address not only the issues of sustainability and environmental concerns in this area but also the dimensions and factors associated with the development of this type of tourism. What is known is that no comprehensive study has been conducted inside the country to investigate the factors related to the development of coastal tourism in Iran. Hence, this research aimed to identify the factors influential on the development of coastal tourism in Iran and to evaluate and prioritize them based on entropy and collective ratio assessment (ARAS) methods. The factors used in this research were comprehensive in nature.  Therefore, the result of this research and the suggestions made in it will have a direct impact on the development of coastal tourism in Iran.
Methodology
This research is practical in terms of its purpose and results, and the survey is the method of data collection. The research population consisted of experts in the field of tourism and specialists active in the coastal tourism industry in Iran. Due to the limitation of the elements of the research community, the judgmental sampling method and the opinions of 15 experts have been used to determine the sample. The experts of this research had at least 5 years of executive experience in this field and education related to tourism. The data collection tool was a questionnaire whose validity and reliability have been established by reviewing similar texts and research and consulting with experts in the field of tourism.
Results and discussion
In this research, the factors influencing the development of coastal tourism have been extracted through a theoretical review of research foundations. To determine the most important factors that experts unanimously agree are influential in the development of this type of tourism, the fuzzy Delphi method has been employed. According to the results of the fuzzy Delphi method, all factors extracted from the research literature were deemed suitable by the experts, and there was no need to add a new factor related to the development of coastal tourism in Iran. Therefore, through literature review and the fuzzy Delphi method, a total of 14 factors were identified. In the next step, the importance and weight of each factor were determined using the Shannon entropy method, and the factors are evaluated and prioritized using the collective ratio evaluation method. According to the results of this research, among the factors influencing the development of coastal tourism in Iran, "the security of coastal areas", "the creation of employment opportunities and attention to local products and businesses in coastal areas" and "recreational facilities in coastal areas" have the highest priority according to experts.
Conclusion
Based on the results of marketing and advertising research, the importance of tourist attractions in coastal areas has been ranked the first. It is suggested to improve the level of knowledge and awareness of tourists about the attractions of the country's coasts by training in the field of different marketing methods and identifying the target market for the people of the local community who are active in the field of tourism. Encouraging and facilitating private sector and local community investment in coastal tourism development holds the second level of importance. Investment in the infrastructure development and other services related to tourism can lead to an increase in the number of visitors/tourists for sightseeing. Government support in the field of coastal tourism is another significant factor in the current study. It is necessary to establish coordination between the government and various organizations, including health agencies, environmental protection departments, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism, as well as grassroots organizations. This coordination aims to create a shared vision for development, thus providing a foundation for integrated beach management. In addition to determining the importance of factors, the ARAS method was also utilized for evaluating and prioritizing the factors influencing the development of coastal tourism in Iran. The implementation results of this method indicated that the security of coastal areas holds a higher priority in coastal tourism development in Iran. Besides the peaceful promotion on an international level, there is a need for greater emphasis on creating a secure environment and enhancing awareness about safety along the coastlines. The next highly prioritized factor is the creation of employment opportunities and attention to local products and businesses in coastal areas. Providing economic benefits to local communities is one of the key outcomes of coastal tourism development. Recreational facilities in the coastal areas are another high-priority factor in the development of coastal tourism in Iran. According to several researchers, recreational parameters are considered important tools for assessing the quality of beaches.
Funding
There is no funding support.
Authors’ Contribution
Authors contributed equally to the conceptualization and writing of the article. All of the authors approved the content of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work. 
Conflict of Interest
Authors declared no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to all the persons for scientific consulting in this paper.

Highlights

- By identifying the factors affecting the development of coastal tourism in Iran, these factors were evaluated and prioritized.
- The results of the research on factors affecting the development of coastal tourism can be used for better planning of the development of coastal tourism in Iran.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Geographical Studies of Coastal Areas Journal
Volume 4, Issue 3 - Serial Number 14
September 2023
Pages 51-67

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