Providing a paradigmatic model of creative rural tourism development (case of study: target villages for tourism in Kermanshah province)

The current research was conducted to design and explain the development model of creative rural tourism in the target villages of Kermanshah province. The research is of a qualitative type and based on database theorizing. The studied community comprised villagers of tourism target villages, managers of ecotourism houses, village councils, local experts, university professors in the field of tourism, and key informants. Sampling has been done using targeted and snowball methods. Based on this, 23 interviews were conducted with the research participants, and theoretical saturation was achieved in 19 interviews. Data were collected using in-depth semi-structured interviews and analyzed using Strauss and Corbin's strategy. In order to measure the validity and respect the qualitative features of the research, accreditation, and data during the interviews, Lincoln and Goba's four criteria (credibility, transferability, reliability, and verifiability) were used. The reliability of the research was calculated using Holstein's reliability formula (82%). The results of the inductive content analysis identified 120 primary codes, 32 central codes, and six factors during three open, central, and selective coding procedures. Finally, the model of creative rural tourism was designed and presented, in which "creative rural tourism" was selected as the central phenomenon affected by the causal factors of the research. Contextual and intervening factors, together with the central phenomenon, shaped creative rural tourism development strategies and consequences such as increasing private sector investments, driving income from cities to villages, preventing migration to cities, increasing employment rates, returning to villages and cultural development, and a sense of cooperation were identified in the area.