Investigating the effects of second homes on ecotourism; A case study of the village of Ira and Niknamadeh in Lavasan Bozor Dehstan

Master's thesis in the field of geography - ecotourism trend

Abstract

Spending leisure time is one of the needs of human society. Therefore, the villages around the cities are ecotourism destinations that are basically based on natural attractions. On the other hand, the villages around the cities are increasingly faced with the construction of second homes and the growth of such tourism. Since the spread of this phenomenon has a reciprocal relationship with the natural environment and socio-economic activity; can; have positive and negative effects in rural areas. The villages of Ira and Niknamedeh in the large Lavasan village, on the southern slopes of Alborz, due to their beautiful nature, lush gardens, the existence of rivers, favorable climate with suitable conditions for the growth of ecotourism, and with the expansion of the trend of temporary and permanent urban migration, have a lot of attraction for the creation of second homes by the citizens of the metropolitan city of Tehran. The formation of second homes according to the effects that this phenomenon will leave in the villages from the environmental, social, economic and physical dimensions; It can also affect ecotourism. Therefore, in this research, it has been tried to investigate the effects of second homes and its expansion on ecotourism in the target area. For this purpose, firstly, the introduction and background of second homes in the world and Iran, and definitions of ecotourism and its threats and opportunities have been discussed, then by examining the indicators that are affected by the expansion of second homes and have a direct effect on ecotourism, hypotheses have been collected through questionnaires. To answer the research questions and draw conclusions, different statistical methods and tests were used using SPSS software as mentioned: To check the normality of the data, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used, and the chi-square and t-test were used to check the research hypotheses. . The results of the research show that the expansion of second homes has negative effects on the biological, social and physical aspects of the study area. and reduces the attraction of ecotourists.

Keywords: second homes, ecotourism, Lavasan Bozor Dehistan, Ira Vanniknamedeh village.

Chapter One

Research Overview

Introduction

Economic, social and cultural developments in the world after the Second World War, especially in the field of ease of mobility and relocation in relation to the improvement of communication and transportation routes, increase in time Leisure, the expansion of urbanization, the increase in environmental pollution, the improvement of social welfare and the possibility of allocating part of the income for unnecessary things, caused the spread of rural tourism and, accordingly, second homes first in the West and then in many countries of the world (Rizvani et al., 2013: 1).  Second homes are homes that city residents prepare to spend their free time and relax in rural areas with good weather and are known as bungalows, vacation and weekend homes. Since tourists have different attitudes, traits, motivations, learnings and aspirations and their value hierarchy is also diverse and complex, it can be expected that their behavior patterns in preparing second homes and spending leisure time in the village will also be different (Anabastani, 1388: 7). The main rural destinations are domestic tourists. France, Germany and Italy are among the countries that have the largest number of second homes according to the number of their residents. In France, second homes are often located in prime tourist spots; That is, they are settled by the sea or in mountainous areas. It is the same in the United States of America, for example, we can mention luxury second homes in Florida, California and luxurious villas in the Rocky Mountains. In Russia, "dachas[1]" play a similar role around Moscow or on the shores of the Black Sea. In the tropical regions of the world, the wealthy classes also build such houses in high areas. This phenomenon has positive and negative consequences in the environment and local communities. If the construction of second homes around big cities like Tehran is done without prior thought and planning, it can threaten the sustainable development of those areas (Salehi Nasab, 2015: 2). The expansion of second homes can damage the villages by disturbing the visual beauty of the villages and destroying the vegetation.With the expansion of second homes in rural areas, little attention has been paid to their beauty and balance. Due to the nature of tourism and second homes and its connection with various economic and social activities, environmental changes and developments and socio-economic and cultural effects are inevitable, especially the uncontrolled and unplanned growth of second homes can create adverse effects in the mentioned fields (Rizvani et al., 2011: 3).  According to the definition of ecotourism, which is a sustainable form, tourism is based on natural resources, which mainly emphasizes two factors, "gaining experience in nature" and "learning about nature". In addition to that, nature tourism management is based on ethical principles in order to minimize the amount of adverse effects on the environment, as well as the guidance and direction of nature tourism activities are applied locally for the benefit of the natives, since nature tourism takes place in natural areas, therefore, actions must be taken to protect and conserve these areas (David E. Fennell, 1999: 64). It is a mountainous and pleasant summer house in Lavasanat district, Shemiranat city, Tehran province, which is located in the green slopes of Alborz mountain range and 33 kilometers southwest of Damavand peak. Villages within the area of ??Greater Lavasan: Rasnan-Alayin-Klan-Lovasan village (the center of the district) - Shahneshin farm - Niknamadeh (the most populated area of ??Greater Lavasan) - Hizm Dareh - Ira - Lower Porzand - Upper Porzand - Middle Porzand - Sedeltian facilities - Juzek (Girodi, 1377: 31). social, economic and physical condition of villages (local communities). This research seeks to find out the effects of second homes and bracotourism in the study area. In addition, this research seeks to find the social and economic effects on the studied area. 1-3- Necessity and importance of research: The growth and expansion of tourism and, as a result, the formation and expansion of second homes are important phenomena of the 20th century and the current century. Rural areas are one of the areas that have been exploited in this field, and for this reason, an important part of second homes have been created and expanded in rural areas, due to the nature of tourism and second homes and its connection with various social and economic activities, environmental changes and developments and socio-economic and cultural effects are inevitable. Indiscriminate and unplanned growth of second homes can create adverse effects in the mentioned fields (Nozari, 2016: 5).  Second homes can have multiple effects on rural areas, in some cases beneficial. For example, old houses in the villages may be renovated or converted into new houses, which, in addition to the beautification of the villages, will also provide temporary and permanent employment for the people of the villages, increase the income of local stores and provide other facilities. However, the expansion of second home ownership can have negative effects on rural areas. In this regard, Wall and Smith believe that the expansion of second homes can damage the environment of villages by disrupting the visual beauty of villages and destroying vegetation. According to them, little attention has been paid to their beauty and balance in the development of second homes in rural areas (Rizvani et al., 2004: 3). Since rural areas are a vulnerable resource and susceptible to environmental, social and economic changes, especially experience has shown that everywhere tourism has spread spontaneously and without effective planning and management, it has brought adverse consequences and in the long run its problems have become more than its benefits (Rizvani et al., 2010: 5). Consequences such as environmental pollution, destruction of water resources, floods, soil erosion, and destruction of forests and pastures have been visible effects during the last two decades. For this reason, during the past few years, the concept of sustainable tourism has progressed to the extent that it can respond to the threats of unorganized tourism (Drouo [2], 1374: 410). The expansion of second homes reduces the possibility of building housing for local people.