Tourism development planning with emphasis on cultural heritage (central part of Rudbar city)

Dissertation for Master Degree (M.A)

Geography and Tourism Planning

Introduction

The nature of tourism in any society is affected by complex and intertwined economic, political, cultural and social factors. Despite the remarkable economic consequences of the tourism industry, many experts believe that tourism is more of a cultural phenomenon than an economic activity. Over the centuries, people have turned the natural environment into a landscape of cultural heritage by using reason, hope and hard work. These visions, which are priceless works and cultural heritage that are almost irreplaceable.

Heritage is not only the past but also its symbol and representation, it speaks of the past, it introduces us to ourselves and draws the perspective of the future for us. Heritage can be both a foundation for unity and a source of conflict. How we use it determines its nature. Heritage can act as a tool and bring prosperity, comfort and social self-esteem to the communities where it is located. This asset, if managed efficiently and effectively and developed in a sustainable manner, can be the source of rich economic and socio-cultural benefits for the society in question. By developing heritage sites for tourism purposes, not only the funds needed for the protection and maintenance of the site can be provided, but also the surrounding community can benefit from the positive economic approaches resulting from the presence of tourists. But it should be noted that cultural heritage tourism can also create many challenges and issues for the local community, especially in developing countries, that adopting Kallangar management and empowering the local community can reduce many of these challenges and issues (Timothy, 1389, 9).        

The country of Iran has a cultural heritage of 5000 years, which includes civilizations of different eras of human history, and in terms of the existence of fewer historical monuments, it is a country comparable to Iran, so that by UNESCO, Iran has been introduced as one of the 10 most important countries in the world with valuable historical monuments. Without a doubt, it is one of the oldest habitats and origins of Iran's children. This land is the heart of Iran's history and the birthplace of Iran's Shiite history.

But today, what is left of Great Gilan except signs in the hearts of history books and buildings that are facing destruction, and memories and voices in the beliefs, rituals, and sounds that have been beautifully spoken by the men and women of this land and the life styles of the people of this system indicate. Gilan's historical tourist attractions are a collection of monuments related to different eras, some of which (such as the ancient caves in Rudbar) date back to more than 100 thousand years ago (Jehani, 2016, 13).  

One of the places that contains many historical monuments is the central part of Rudbar city, which in this research we will discuss the challenges of its progress, may it attract more tourists with proper planning of these valuable historical monuments. In order to know what is left of this great heritage, it is necessary to take firm steps and collect the achievements of research and research of thinkers and leave it to the young generation and the generation that the future of this land belongs to.     

. Statement of the problem

Today, the tourism industry is one of the top 3 industries in the world in terms of job creation and foreign exchange earnings. Tourism is considered an important factor for the economic, social, cultural and political development and progress of the regions, as well as one of the prosperous ways of spending healthy leisure time.

This industry, which is known as the invisible industry, causes the all-round development of the regions, creates countless jobs, and improves the level of knowledge and awareness of people, and for this reason, it is considered as an important phenomenon in facilitating development (Golta, 1384, 43).

Visiting cultural and historical resources is one of the largest, most comprehensive and growing sectors of the tourism industry today.  In fact, it seems that heritage tourism has grown much faster than other forms of tourism, especially in developing countries, and it should be considered as an important potential tool for poverty reduction and economic development of society..

Heritage tourism usually relies on the living and established elements of culture and uses the tangible and intangible past as a source for tourism.  Although the interest in heritage tourism is increasing day by day, it is a nascent field. In relation to the dynamics of cultural heritage tourism in developing regions, the lack of integrated research is still felt. Iran, as one of the ancient civilizations, has a huge and impressive cultural heritage. . is the city of Rudbar. This city is a mountainous region and the highest city in Gilan province with an area of ??about 2300 square kilometers.

This research tries to help the development of tourism in this ancient region by planning and providing a solution to develop the cultural heritage of the central part of Rudbar city.

1-2. Research objectives

- Identifying and introducing historical monuments and sites in the central part of Rudbar city

- Knowing the cultural heritage and its effect on attracting tourists in the central part of Rudbar city

- Providing a solution for the development of cultural heritage tourism in the central part of Rudbar city

1-3. Research question

Does knowing the cultural heritage of the central part of Rudbar city lead to the development of tourism in the region?

1-4. Research hypotheses

Knowledge of cultural heritage will attract tourists to this region.

Planning for cultural heritage tourism will develop tourism in the region.   

1-5. Research limitations and obstacles

Researchers always face limitations in their research. Limitations, as a fact, slow down the achievement of any goal, the present research is no exception to this rule. Therefore, the main limitations of this research are:

Non-cooperation of officials of organizations and centers

Non-cooperation of some tourists

Lack of resources regarding the scope of the research

Non-cooperation of the custodian organization and lack of up-to-date and sufficient information in this field.  

1-6. Research Background

Although the interest in heritage tourism is increasing day by day, it is a new field and there is a lack of research in this category.  No work has been done on this topic at the regional level, except in a few foreign books that have given detailed explanations about cultural geography (material aspect). Some examples are mentioned below: Azimi (1382), in the article on the economy of cultural heritage tourism, deals with the fact that historical cities and towns are undoubtedly the best examples of cultural and social heritage, and the researcher has reached the conclusion that more value should be given to applied studies to evaluate the effects on the economy of the city, the region, and even the entire economy of the destination of cultural tourism. The center of the city, the development of tourism based on the historical center of the city deals with this category that the historical centers of Iranian cities are the most important tourist attractions of these cities and the distinctive features and unique spatial, historical and cultural characteristics of each city should actually be sought in the same historical context and physical and meaningful works left in it. In the results of this research, it has been concluded that the background and current conditions of Iranian cities indicate the fact that the characteristics and advantages mentioned for the historical center of the city apply to most of the historical cities of the country.  But due to the lack of suitable infrastructure to create complementary attractions, attention to the historical centers of the city as the most important and effective relative advantage in attracting domestic and foreign tourists and developing the tourism industry in medium-sized cities of the country is of particular importance.    

Jehani (2013), in a seminal article on the historical and natural tourism of Yasen village (Dilman), writes: The cultural heritage of each nation expresses the genius aspect of that nation and the mysterious continuity that connects what each nation has created over the centuries and everything it can potentially create in the future. During the last few years, the industrial and agricultural activities in the mountainous areas, the swamps of Gilan, have severely endangered the existence of the ancient hills, historical sites and old buildings, especially the village of Yasen in Dilman (Siahkal). Some of these works, including historical cemeteries, have been subjected to unauthorized excavation before being scientifically excavated.