Identifying the Physical-Spatial Components of the Valuable Vernacular Villages Based on Tourism Development (Case Study: Foothill Villages in the West of Mazandaran Province)

Villages with historical and vernacular textures in Mazandaran province can develop tourism in Iran. Thanks to the many attractions (natural and cultural-historical) and the development of the communication network, etc. (as a tourist destination), they are increasingly visited by city dwellers. They welcome a large number of tourists to the province annually. Tourism experience guarantees the possibility of returning tourists. However, the lack of clear and specific criteria for each rural area due to its specific physical-spatial texture sometimes makes developing long-term planning and implementation challenging. Thus, identifying physical-spatial factors and criteria in line with tourism development in vernacular villages is essential. Thus, this study was exploratory and descriptive regarding the data collection method. The study's statistical population included 250 experts who were selected and questioned using a random network. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software and through exploratory factor analysis, Pearson correlation, and regression analysis. The research results have shown that 97.9 percent of tourism development changes by physical-spatial factors, including physical-environmental quality, spatial organization and permeability, decorative elements and architectural style, comfort and infrastructure facilities, climate adaptation, greenery and natural scenery, cultural and religious centers, comfort Physicality, identity and personality of the place have been explained. Physical-environmental quality, spatial organization, and permeability impact rural tourism development, with impact coefficients of 0.674 and 0.348, respectively.