The effects of tourism development on socio-cultural changes in rural destinations (Case Study: Tourism Villages in Chenaran County)

Today, attention to the cultural and social aspects of tourism is an indispensable necessity. Because the tourist and the host interact with two different cultures, the differences between cultures have implications for the sustainability of both societies. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of tourism development on socio-cultural developments in tourism destinations in Chenaran County. The purpose of this study is applied and the methodology is descriptive-analytical. The statistical population of the research includes rural households. Using Cochran formula and error level (0.06), 252 people (with one member from each household) from 11 tourist villages of Chenaran county have been determined as sample. The data were analyzed using one-sample t-test, Pearson correlation, and linear regression. The results showed that tourism development in general has caused more positive socio-cultural changes in tourism destinations than negative ones. It should be noted that the most significant positive socio-cultural developments in tourism development include increasing the popularity of the village by an average of 3.60 and enhancing exchanges and cultural connectivity by an average of 3.33. In terms of negative developments, the highest increase was in the cost of living averaging 2.91 and the change in the language and dialect of the locals averaging 2.80. Also, the most positive developments occurred in Radkan village with an average of 3.63 and the highest negative ones occurred in Akhlad-ulia village with an average of 3.25. Regression results also showed that tourism development has a positive impact on positive and negative socio-cultural developments in the area.