The Effects of Religious Tourism on Improvement of Rural Life Quality (Case Study: Rural Areas of Mashhad)

Extended Abstract
From a social perspective, acceptance of religious tourists by villagers can affect the interaction between people and also the livability. The present study evaluates the impact of religious tourism on improvement of life quality among rural areas of city of Mashhad. Present work was an applied research and was carried out by using descriptive-analytic methods. The statistical population in this study was chosen among villages which had saint tombs all around the city of Mashhad. The sample size was calculated as 196 tourists by using Cochran formula, and the host population size was determined as 185 people. In this research, the analysis unit was "village", and data obtained from questionnaires were assessed by using two statistical analysis software SPSS and LISREL. Findings showed that among the surveyed villages Mayami and Hesar had the highest average (Research indices) and Khajeh Hoseinabad recorded the lowest score. Also, regarding to the normality of the research indicators LISREL software was used to assess the effect of religious tourism on the quality of life. These results showed that there is a significant relationship between religious tourism and life quality, and the final LISREL model revealed that religious tourism is most effective on physical and social same as economic and environmental dimensions, respectively. So for the development of religious tourism the following is suggested:
Coordination of local institutions and executive agencies, increase in the quantity and quality of facilities of saint tombs and villages, and paying more attention accompanying appropriate monitoring service.
 
Introduction
The presence of tourists in a rural area of the region affects many aspects of life in this issue reflect the effects that religious tourism is the quality of life for rural residents. So it seems essential to the investigation of these effects in the development of religious tourism and improve the quality of life in the villages where this activity is prevalent in step, Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the role of religious tourism in improving the quality of life of rural households resort city of Mashhad is a sphere of influence. According to the key questions that will be answered “What percentage of rural households living on promoting religious tourism of quality of rural life in study area (hinterland resort city of Mashhad) have an effect?”
 
Materials and Methods
 The study was a cross sectional descriptive study methodology is applied. The unit of analysis in this study villages.  Data collected from the questionnaires using SPSS statistical analysis software were used. The two Lisrel and GIS software has been used in different parts of the research. Walkway to determine the sphere of influence of Rupert pattern which is used in the model for the city of Mashhad 59 km (the radius of the sphere of tourism) is obtained. The population in this study villages has tombs of saints in the city of Mashhad tourism  According to field studies of 13 villages has a town of Mashhad and Binalud that are in the sphere of tourism. And according to the terms of the spatial distribution of villages in all districts randomly selected from each district a village that has finally determined the total number of sample 7 villages. These include: village Hesar of the town Binaloud and Tabadakan, Khajeh Hoseiabad, Androkh, Pievejan, dehsorkh and Miami, the town of Mashhad in 2011 with the number of households are equal to 2259 households. The dependent variable (quality of life) research in the four dimensions of economic, social, Physical and environmental that included a total of 13 indicators and 65 items and the independent variable (religious tourism) has been little 6 indicators and 20 items.
 
Discussion and Results
According to the LISREL output value x2 / df are calculated is equal to 0.38 x2 / df bottom represent the perfect fit model. Because the value x2 / df is less, the proposed model is more suitable model according to the following results were obtained from the output LISREL software.
RMSEA= 0.018 و P-valu= 0.0667 و x2/df= 0.38
The amount of (p- value) higher than the standard level of significance (a = 0.05). So the model is a good model. Also according to the amount obtained RMSEA (0.018) and less than (0.05), the model of optimal fitness and is reliable.
In total the model LISREL show that the quality of life indicators used in research and development of religious tourism and there is a positive significant relationship. Tests show that the model used is appropriate for all indicators.
 
Conclusions
According to the research findings in this study, the highest mean R (religious tourism and quality of life) belonging to two villages are Hesar and Mayami Because these two villages are better in terms of religious tourism in the state of its effects on the quality of life for residents of both villages is higher than the other. The lowest index Khajeh Hoseinabad village is owned research. Because the village relevance is not in good health and rural areas is not adequate facilities for tourists. The result of the tourism boom in the tourist village which naturally have a positive impact on the quality of life of rural residents have failed. Due to the significance of hypotheses by LISREL software output index relations between religious tourism and quality of life confirmed and So The final model shows that religious tourism as well as on the physical, social and economic and environmental dimension size is most effective.
 
Keywords: Religious Tourism, Quality of Life Dimension, Village, Hinterland Tourism in Mashhad.
 
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