Investigating the role of travel service agencies in the development of tourism in Bandar Anzali city

Academic Thesis for Master's Degree

In the Field: Geography and Tourism Planning

Abstract

The tourism industry is one of the largest and most productive economic activities in the world, which creates the highest added value and directly and indirectly affects other economic and cultural activities. The development of tourism in any place can pursue development.

The current research is of applied type and the method of doing it is descriptive and analytical. The required information and data have been collected using documentary methods, field observations, interviews, and completing questionnaires, and have been analyzed using statistical methods and the use of Excel and SPSS software. The purpose of the research is to investigate the role of travel agencies in the development of tourism in Anzali city. The obtained results show that having a privileged natural position (wetland and seashore), benefiting from the wetland with various types of vegetation, fauna, numerous islands and the possibility of exploiting its nature and wildlife for conducting scientific tours, tourism and hunting, the existence of four special areas as natural and protected habitats in the city, the existence of native habitats throughout the Anzali wetland, the lands bordering the wetland and the shores of the Caspian Sea, as well as the special habitat of Qarqavel (Kalamgode Island), And also the existence of customs and traditions, handicrafts and the existence of local, weekly and permanent markets for the exchange of products and cultures are among the tourism potentials of Bandar Anzali. Enriching the infrastructure and supporting and strengthening tourist service centers, as well as travel agencies through the development of tourism activities and finally, the development and equipping of this area as a supplier of tourism services can have ideal consequences and can lead to the development of tourism and make this area one of the important tourism lines in the north of the country. What seems important is that as much as the agencies work for the development of tourism, it is necessary to improve the infrastructure of the tourism sector.

Key words: tourism, travel service agencies, tourism development, Bandar Anzali city

Introduction:

Gilan is a land where everything shows signs of life. The ever-living nature with coniferous and hemlock forests, rain and rice, beaches and plains, foothills and mountains, each of which has gathered together as a symbol of the manifestations of nature and created a continuous collection of natural mixtures. Demarcation of rice fields, rowing of tea bushes, sorting of rice stalks, covering with clay and clay, the collection of sights of Gilan is a solidarity between man and nature. You will hardly find a place in Gilan that is not attractive for a traveler. Bandar Anzali city, with its climate, soil, vegetation, mountains, and wetlands, is always a good destination for native and non-native travelers of the province. Along with the attractions of a region, agencies play a very important role in the development of tourism. This thesis aims to investigate the role of agencies in the development of tourism. Therefore, it is divided into five chapters in the following order:

Chapter one: the generalities of the research, which includes the statement of the problem, research objectives, research hypothesis, working methods, research records.

Chapter two: the theoretical foundations of the research.

Chapter three: the geographical features of the city are discussed.

Chapter four: the findings of the research are discussed.

Chapter five: results and suggestions and in It is the end of the sources and references.

Chapter 1

General research

- Statement of the problem

The tourism industry is considered as the largest and most diverse industry in the world. Many countries consider this dynamic industry as the basis of income, employment, private sector growth and infrastructure development. across the globe; Especially in developing countries, a lot of attention is paid to the development of the tourism industry. On the other hand, this industry facilitates intercultural interactions of different societies and establishes ways of establishing behavioral interactions based on peaceful discourse (Qarkhlo, 2016: 3). Nowadays, the importance of tourism and the need to investigate and research about it due to its important economic, social, and cultural roles is not hidden from anyone (Mashbaki and Malik Ekhlaq, 2012: 7).In today's world, this activity has become one of the most important factors in generating wealth, work, creating dynamics, moving people and the wealth of nations. In order to reach goals such as getting to know the historical facts of the past, taking advantage of natural gifts, escaping from the disturbances and everyday life of the city, the modern man. He considers tourism as a unique and suitable means to achieve their goals (Amar, 1382, 55). Today, tourism is the largest and most diverse industry in the world. Many countries in the world seek to achieve sustainable development and use this industry as a dynamic industry to earn money and create jobs and interact with their culture. In today's world, the use of tourism resources and attractions of a region, whether natural or man-made, plays a significant role in its development.

Studies have shown that there is a positive and meaningful relationship between the growth and development of the tourism industry and the economic growth and development of countries. The third millennium brings with it the ever-increasing advancement of technology and technology. The industrialization of life in today's world has provided free time for people in modern cities, which can be considered a good opportunity to get away from the dry and soulless environment with the noise of crowded cities. Today, travel service agencies provide all kinds of tourism services in the fields of domestic, foreign and nature tourism. These agencies are divided according to their activities, some of them are responsible for ticket sales, others are responsible for tour services, and some others are providers of both services at the same time. These tours play a very important role in the transportation of tourists; So that some tourists are permanent customers of these agencies in all trips. Therefore, it can be said that tourism agencies have a direct relationship with tourism development. As one of the important cities of Gilan province, Bandar Anzali has a suitable location for tourism and relaxation. This city has attracted the attention of most people both inside and outside of it due to its special weather conditions and pristine nature and beautiful views such as the sea, free zone, commercial markets, and places of pilgrimage. This feature has caused the development of tourism in the nature of this region; So that the number of tourists and the number of tourist tours increases every day. Therefore, the research seeks to investigate and evaluate the performance of service and travel agencies in the development of tourism in Bandar Anzali city, and the research seeks to answer the question, to what extent did travel agencies play a role in the development of tourism in Bandar Anzali city? The world has spent 1550 billion dollars by traveling to other countries (sitewto).

New theories in the field of tourism show that sports-based tourism attractions have more economic, social and political advantages compared to other cultural attractions. On the other hand, Iran is one of the top ten countries in the world in terms of tourism attractions (Henrour et al., 2016: 32). Therefore, it is important to use its capabilities in the development of tourism, including sports tourism. Undoubtedly, choosing the right place for sports activities is very important for athletes. Therefore, in this research, an attempt is made to take into consideration the fact that the tourism of various coastal, marine and wetland areas is one of the major recreational activities in the world, to identify the existing capabilities and to determine the suitable location for attracting sports tourism, and considering the lack of necessary scientific and specialized resources in the country, by examining various factors in attracting tourism and expanding sports tourism, we can move towards a bright future by obtaining results. Among the applications of the results of this research, we can mention the quantitative and qualitative development of the city, raising the level of people's culture, exchange of sports and cultural ethics, preserving the environment and sustainable development of the region, economic prosperity and improving the infrastructure of the region. 1-3- Research objectives The most important objectives of this research are as follows: Determining the tourist and ecotourism potentials of Bandar Anzali city,

2. Determining the role of travel agencies in the development of tourism in Bandar Anzali city,

3. Determining strategies for the development of tourism in Bandar Anzali city.