Identifying and Ranking of the Entrepreneurial Opportunities in Rural Tourism (Case Study; Ab Ask Village)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associate Professor of Management, Allameh Tabataba`i University

2 Master of Entrepreneurship, Allameh Tabataba`i University

Abstract

Abstract
Since tourism and identifying opportunities in the field of entrepreneurship have  always been the most well-known rural development strategies, this study aimed to identify and rank the entrepreneurial opportunities in Ab Ask rural tourism in Mazandaran province; which has abundant natural potential and suitable location for business development in rural tourism field; to introduce these opportunities with functional approach to entering tourism industry. This research is descriptive, and integrated approach is used to obtain the answers of their questions. After reviewing the subject history, data collection was done by means of interviewing with the experts and using questionnaire. Assess of the validity content and reliability of each of these eleven-fold opportunities were obtained up to %7. Descriptive and inferential statistics are the statistical methods that used by SPSS19 and LISREL software. Fifty-nine entrepreneurial opportunities in tourism industry in the Ab Ask village were investigated.  These opportunities had organized and ranked into eleven groups; hygiene and health category and entertainment and adventure category obtained the highest and the lowest ranks respectively. At the end, to developing entrepreneurial opportunities in the rural tourism of Ab Ask, recommendations were presented.
 
Introduction
Tourism is considered as the most important development options in communities. Substantiation of the presence of 20 million tourists and 5.6 million job creation, is according to 20-year prospect and horizon of 2025 of Iran, depend on using of the whole aspects and tourist attractions of the country, including in rural areas. Rural tourism as a form of tourism if the features, requirement and  social, cultural and economic problems of local communities, along with attention to tourists demands were planned and organized properly, the major part of  the economic problems of rural areas –such as poverty and unemployment- will eliminated. (Ghanian, 2010).
There are many cultural and tourism potentials in Mazandaran province that identifying and optimum using of its can significantly affect the growth and development of cultural, economic and social fields; but lack of appropriate facilities and plan and unwillingness of the private sector to invest in mountain villages and unawareness of tourists caused to not having the appropriate  growth and development the tourism industry in villages of Mazandaran province especially in Ab Ask; that is one of the tourism villages with suitable location and  tourism attractions. By considering of these subjects based on the importance of the role of tourism on increasing of business of region and necessity of identifying and evaluation of opportunities in order to using of economic, cultural and social benefits of tourism industry, this research seeks to identify and rank the entrepreneurial opportunities in tourism in order to prospering of Ab Ask Village and making occupation for entrepreneurs.
 
Materials and Methods
The research methods was combinatorial (qualitative-quantitative). Due to identify the entrepreneurial opportunities in rural tourism industry, 10 interviews were conducted. Then at the next phase, through collecting the quantitative data, validation and classification of opportunities were assessed.
 
Discussion and results
Tourism industry can help the local economy. According to study of available resources and interviews with experts,  eleven-fold areas of opportunity in rural tourism industry in this investigation are as follows: Accommodation, entertainment and adventure, special events and conferences, food and beverage, tourism services, transportation, hygiene and health, cultural, communication and information, environmental and educational; that hygiene and health opportunities and entertainment and adventure opportunities obtained the highest and the lowest ranks respectively.
 
Conclusion
It is suggested that by investing in rural infrastructure in the region Ab Ask; which has natural and diverse historical endowments that each of these resources can be the basis of many entrepreneurial activities and it is considered as a sample tourism area of Mazandaran province; so that in addition to short-term benefits in long-term duration, the development and progress of various parts of village is provided and assessing value of the potential of the region will be possible.
 
Keywords: Opportunity, Entrepreneurship, Rural tourism, Ab Ask
 
References
 

Ahmad Pour, M. and Moghimi, S.M. (2009). Fundamental of Entrepreneurship, Tehran: Farandish. Eighth Edition. (In Persian)
Ahmad, A.R. Yusoff, W.F.W., Noor, H.M. and Ramin, A.K. (2012). Preliminary study of rural entrepreneurship development program in Malaysia, Journal of Global Entrepreneurship, 2(1): 1-8.
Dwyer, L. Edwards, D. Mistilis, N. Roman, C. and Scott, N. (2009). Destination and enterprise management for a tourism future, Tourism Management, 30(1): 63-74.
Ghanian, M. Khani, F. and Baghayi, L. (2011). Evaluation of entrepreneurship climate in rural tourism (case study: Oraman region), Rural Research, 2(7): 99-123. (In Persian)
Jomehpour, M. and Ahmadi, S.R. (2011). The impact of tourism on sustainable rural livelihoods (Case study of Barghan village, Savojbolagh County), Rural Researches, 2(1): 33-61. (In Persian)
Komppula, R. (2014). The role of individual entrepreneurs in the development of competitiveness for a rural tourism destination–A case study, Tourism Management, 40: 361-371.

Keywords


  1. احمدپور، محمود و مقیمی، سید محمد (1388). مبانی کارآفرینی، چاپ هشتم، تهران: انتشارات فراندیش.
  2. ایزدی، نسیم و عطائی، پوریا (1392). کارآفرینی روستایی و نقش ترویج و آموزش کشاورزی در توسعه آن، نظام مهندسی کشاورزی و منابع طبیعی، سال یازدهم، شماره40:  34-30.
  3. پورجعفر، محمدرضا و محمودی نژاد، هادی و ایلکا، شاهین و عاقبت بخیر، حامد (1391). فرا تحلیلی از ارزیابی رویکردهای توسعه‌ی گردشگری روستایی با تأکید بر تحلیل عوامل راهبردی (SWOT)، فصلنامه علوم و تکنولوژی محیط‌زیست، دوره 14، شماره2: 79-61.
  4. جمعه پور، محمود و احمدی، شکوفه (1390). تأثیر گردشگری بر معیشت پایدار روستایی (مطالعه‌ی موردی: روستای برغان، شهرستان ساوجبلاغپژوهش‌های روستایی، شماره 1: 61-33.
  5. حسام، مهدی و رضوانی، محمدرضا (1393). بررسی وضعیت حمایت‌های مالی کسب ‌وکارهای گردشگری روستایی از یکدیگر با رویکرد تحلیل شبکه، مجله پژوهش و برنامه‌ریزی روستایی،  شماره 10: 142-127.
  6. رنجبریان،  بهرام و زاهدی، محمد (1386). خدمات صنعت گردشگری، چاپ اول، اصفهان: انتشارات چهارباغ.
  7. سقایی، مهدی و علیزاده، سید دانا (1392). امکان‌سنجی محصول گردشگری روستایی در شهرستان پاوه، فصلنامه فضای جغرافیایی، شماره 41: 20-1.
  8. شفقت، ابوطالب و درویش، حسن و نامدار علی آبادی، عباس و غلامی، رمضان (1389). مجموعه مقالات همایش ملی توسعه پایدار روستایی با تأکید بر بخش کشاورزی بجنورد، بجنورد، ایران.
  9. صفری، سعید و محمد میرزایی بافقی، ملیحه (1393). شناسایی و اولویت‌بندی فرصت‌های کارآفرینانه در صنعت گردشگری شهرستان یزد، مطالعات مدیریت گردشگری، شماره 26:  147-131.‎
  10. غنیان, منصور و خانی، فضیله و بقایی، لیلا (1390). ارزیابی فضای کارآفرینی در گردشگری روستایی (مطالعه موردی: منطقه اورامان)، پژوهش‌های روستایی، شماره 7: 123-99.‎
  11. غنیان، منصور (1389). تبیین راهبردهای توسعه گردشگری کارآفرین روستایی؛ مطالعه منطقه اورامان، رساله دکتری تخصصی در رشته جغرافیا و برنامه‌ریزی روستایی، دانشکده جغرافیا، دانشگاه تهران، 18-2.
  12. قنبری، سیروس و دهقان، محمدحسین و میرکی اناری، حسین (1395). ارزیابی عوامل مؤثر بر توسعه کارآفرینی در گردشگری روستایی، مطالعات مدیریت گردشگری، شماره32: 20-1.
  13. محسنی، رضاعلی (1388). گردشگری پایدار در ایران: کارکردها، چالش‌ها و راهکارها، مجله      علمی- پژوهشی فضای جغرافیایی، شماره 28: 171-149.
  14. مقیمی، سید محمد (1383). کارآفرینی در نهادهای جامعه مدنی، تهران: انتشارات دانشگاه تهران.
  15. Ahmad, A.R. Yusoff, W.F.W. Noor, H.M. and Ramin, A.K. (2012). Preliminary study of rural entrepreneurship development program in Malaysia. Journal of Global Entrepreneurship, 2(1): 1-8.
  16. Ateljevic, J. and Page, S.J. Eds. (2009). Tourism and entrepreneurship. Routledge.
  17. Dinis, A. (2011). Tourism, niche strategy and networks as factors for both entrepreneurship and rural sustainability, IX Rural Entrepreneurship Conference, Nottingham Business School.
  18. Dwyer, L. Edwards, D. Mistilis, N. Roman, C. and Scott, N. (2009). Destination and enterprise management for a tourism future. Tourism Management, 30(1): 63-74.
  19. Fortunato, M.W.P. Fortunato, M. W. P. Alter, T.R. Alter, T.R. (2016). Culture and entrepreneurial opportunity in high-and low-entrepreneurship rural communities: Challenging the discovery/creation divide. Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, 10(4): 447-476.
  20. Komppula, R. (2014). The role of individual entrepreneurs in the development of competitiveness for a rural tourism destination–A case study. Tourism Management, 40, 361-371.
  21. Luke, B. and Verreynne, M.L. (2006). Exploring strategic entrepreneurship in the public sector, Qualitative Research in Accounting and Management, 3(1): 4-26.
  22. Meccheri, N. and Pelloni, G. (2006). Rural entrepreneurs and institutional assistance: an empirical study from mountainous Italy, Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 18(5): 371-392.
  23. Peng, K. L. Peng, K.L., Lin, P.M. and Lin, P.M. (2016). Social entrepreneurs: Innovating rural tourism through the activism of service science. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(6): 1225-1244.
  24. Sima, E. Bordânc, F. and Sima, C. (2015). Entrepreneurship Role in Promoting Rural Tourism. Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, 12(1): 71-80.
  25. Zamora, О. М. (2011). Development instruments for the cross-border cooperation in Ukraine, In: problems of tourism development on rural areas, Krystyna Krzyzanowska(ed), Warsaw University of Life Sciences Press, Warsaw 2011, pp: 109-121.