Economic Effects of Nature Tours in Damavand County

Canvas tourism is a responsive journey to natural attractions where the environment is preserved and the well-being of local people is taken care of. The economy of countries that rely on a single source of income are affected by the least fluctuations in prices. Therefore, diversifying the sources of income of the country and relying on non-oil exports is one of the solutions. One of the strategies for the optimal use of diverse attractions is the development of tourism in the country. The present study is descriptive. The statistical population of the study was all households in rural areas of Damavand (25,655 households), of which 383 were selected by simple random sampling method. The research tool is a researcher-made questionnaire that has been constructed using previous studies as well as theoretical framework of research and includes economic indicators. In order to ensure validity, the questionnaire was put at the disposal of the experts. To assess the reliability, the results of Cronbach’s alpha coefficient were equal to 0.903. Data analysis was performed using SPSS19. To analyze the hypotheses, one-sample-t-test and Friedman test have been used. The results showed that the implementation of ecotourism tours in Damavand has positive effects for local community.