Strategies for tourism development in the watershed area of ??the Two Thousand Tonkabon river

Academic Thesis for Master's Degree

Field: Geography and Tourism Planning

Abstract

The crystallization of tourism as a need, its transformation into the largest service industry in the world and the specialization of tourism have provided the opportunity for any destination to hope to benefit from the benefits of tourism. But of course, this will not be possible without identifying the influencing factors, planning and strategic management. The general goal of this research is to provide solutions for the development of tourism in the Dohazar Tankabon River watershed. This area, which is one of the most important tourism destinations in the country, can play an effective role in the development of these areas and diversify the national economy by planning in principle and identifying the strengths and limitations of tourism. In the current research, a descriptive and survey method has been used, which was firstly done by listing the external and internal factors (SWOT) influencing the development or non-development of tourism by using the analysis to evaluate the development capabilities of tourism in Dohazar Tenkabon, and then by surveying tourists and experts with a questionnaire, and then by prioritizing the mentioned factors, appropriate strategies and solutions were presented to improve the conditions of the region. Based on the results obtained from the research, the presence of the Dohzar River has the greatest role in the development of tourism in the region, and considering that the government's lack of attention to infrastructure is the main weakness of the tourism industry in the region, therefore, the government should allocate funds to improve the infrastructure and also create incentive packages to attract investors to create recreational parks, water sports centers, build hotels, restaurants, etc.

Key words: tourism, watershed, Dohzar River, Tankabon city

Due to the excessive expansion of cities and the increase of problems caused by urbanization, as well as the emptying and overflowing of the population from villages to cities, where humans are faced with many limitations in the field of enjoying natural facilities and blessings such as natural landscapes. People who are tired of urban and car life are always looking for places to spend their free time away from the hustle and bustle of modern life, and nature is the best refuge for this group of people. In recent years, tourism has had a great impact on the economic, social and cultural situation of the world and is considered as a leading industry in the economic development of countries. and has attracted the governments of different countries to plan for the development of infrastructure and investment in this sector (Meimand et al., 2013).

Tourism for countries with rich tourist attractions such as Iran can become the most important source of foreign exchange earnings. But for the formation of the tourism industry in Iran, there is a long and difficult road ahead of officials and managers. A practical and specialized examination of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of tourism can be the fields of development and progress. provide it more than before.

Tourism in the northern regions of the country (especially Gilan and Mazandaran) has been more dependent on nature (forest, mountain, sea, temperate climate, etc.) than the management and planning of the authorities. Ecotourism is not only associated with the awareness and understanding of tourists, but also adheres to sustainable development and environmental protection. Mazandaran province also has strong ecotourism potentials in terms of its location. Despite several decades of accepting tourists in Mazandaran province, the methods of responding to their demand and needs are still traditional and non-specialized. Although huge investments have been made in the field of hotels and restaurants in the last two decades, a significant number of tourists continue to enjoy non-standard facilities and inefficient services.

In areas that have great potential for tourism development, but have not gone through a favorable process, one should look for factors and elements that speed up the slow movement of tourism (Tavakli et al., 1389, 73), for this reason, attention It is very important to exploit the potential of tourism in each region in order to provide solutions for the development of tourism.                                                

Therefore, the Dohazar region, especially the Dohazar riverside, with its rich attractions, is one of the tourism hubs of Mazandaran province and is considered one of the important centers in the field of tourism and plays an important role in the economic, social and cultural development of the region, but it still does not have the favorable condition that befits it in terms of accommodation facilities, facilities, catering and facilities. Construction is the third most profitable, clean and low-cost industry in the world (Ghafari, 2016) and one out of every 15 people working in the world is active in this sector and plays an important role in creating employment and income for countries. According to the statistics published by the World Travel and Tourism Association, the number of workers in this industry in 2010 was 235,785,000 (that is, 8.1% of the total jobs in the world). It is expected to reach 303,019,000 (that is, 9.2% of all jobs in the world) in 2020 (Meimand et al., 1390, 11). Since this industry does not require heavy initial investment, therefore, by paying more attention to it, the economic wheel of the country can be turned well. Economically, it creates employment, reduces unemployment and increases income. So that in 2000, out of 12 current jobs, one job belongs to the tourism sector, and one out of every 9 workers and employees around the world is engaged in the tourism industry (International Labor Organization, 2001). Iran, as a country that has many potentials and abilities in the field of various branches of tourism on the one hand, and on the other hand, it is a country with a young population that has a relatively high unemployment rate, can, with proper planning in the field of tourism, Overcome the problem of unemployment. Unfortunately, we have not seen our country benefit from this situation.

Although Iran is one of the top 10 countries in the world in terms of historical, cultural and natural resources, it only accounts for less than 1% of the global income from the industry (World Tourism Organization). After many years, the tourism industry in Iran has not only not achieved an acceptable share in the national income, but this small share is facing further decline every year.

The use of non-specialist managers, extra-legal power structures, the priority of preserving religious values ??in the eyes of government managers and the lack of investment by managers of large sectors in the tourism industry are among the factors of managerial weakness in this industry that must be addressed.

Tourism management methods in Iran It has shown that the priorities of this industry in Iran are neither economic nor social, but the main priority is to preserve values ??(hijab, etc.) and unlike most countries in the world, it is not to create comfort and attractiveness for tourists. Also, for the development of tourism in Iran, there is a need for investments by the managers of large sectors, who in most cases also avoid the necessary investments, because they have not looked at the tourism industry as an industry.

Developing countries, including Iran, which depend They have a single-product economy and are severely affected by the change in the price of goods, they can choose tourism to diversify the economy and as a desirable form of transformation (Lee, 2018, 2018). . Although huge investments have been made in the last two decades in the field of hotels, restaurants and fish farms in this region, a significant number of tourists are still faced with non-standard facilities and inefficient services and their needs are met with traditional and non-specialized methods in this region. In fact, there is still no balance between the demand of tourists and the supply of tourism services in this region. The use of non-specialist managers is not only a problem of the tourism industry in the Dohazar region, but it is a major but common problem in other tourism regions and management sectors in Iran, for which a solution should be found.

Based on this, the present project seeks to answer this question, how can tourism be developed in the Dohazar region of Tenkabon and the Dohazar River watershed.