Identification and Prioritization of Security Obstacles in Rural Tourism Development by using Delphi Technique (Research Area: Chehar-Mahal Va Bakhtiary)

According to World Tourism Organization, the prerequisite of sustainable tourism development is to combine and coordinate economic, environmental, social and cultural purposes. This leads to providing long-term benefits for host society, tourists and preserving natural resources and cultural heritage. In this aspect planning and management of tourism is a multi sector activity, which needs a holistic approach and coordination of different sectors. As World Tourism Organization has anticipated, in 2020 the number of tourists will be 1561 million worldwide, while in 1999 only 1 million tourists visited Iran and just less than 1% of them actually visited Chahar Mahal va Bakhtiari province, which is one of the most capable provinces in terms of tourism industry, with diverse capacities. However, if there is no security, there is no visit either. Whenever there is a proper security, people make more trips and as a result the tourism industry flourishes. Security and tourism are parameters of the same equation which are in a direct relationship. In fact, as security is one of the most important factors for tourism development, tourism activities may lead to more security in a region. In addition to economic prosperity and more job opportunities, Tourism is an activity that brings many social and cultural influences. By development in tourism we can increase the welfare of indigenous societies. However, in order to attract more tourists different mechanisms need to be working out together, one of which is provision of security for tourists. Security can be considered from different perspectives, including physical, and psychological. Feeling of security arises from objective and acquired experiences of individuals from their surrounding environment. In the social aspect, feeling of security is actually a social production in the sense that all social structures have a role in forming it. In this view, the whole elements of society, including people, government, police, etc. play important roles in producing and promoting feeling of security. One of the main foci of tourism destination is target villages in any region. Therefore, paying attention to the security of these villages is one of the most important elements in developing tourism in Iran, which is one of the 10 top countries in terms of historical and cultural heritage, and one of the 5 top countries in terms of eco-tourism and ecological diversity, but unfortunately these potentials have not been used in a proper way to develop the country’s economy and welfare.