عوامل مؤثر بر توسعه کارآفرینی روستایی با تأکید بر بوم گردی مطالعه موردی: بخش سیلوانا، شهرستان ارومیه

A B S T R A C T
Many rural residents migrate to big cities to find jobs in Iran, while villages have high capacities for earning income. One of these opportunities is to attract ecotourists, who can provide a good income for the villagers. West Azerbaijan province is located in the bordering area of three neighboring countries with a mild climate. Silvana resort area is one of the beautiful places near Urmia, the capital city of this province. It has a high potential to attract nature tourists. Unfortunately, the government and local people have paid little attention to this area to use these potentials. The purpose of this research is to conduct an in-depth investigation to identify the effective factors for attracting nature walkers and developing ecotourism in the villages of this region to improve rural entrepreneurship. In this research, deep and open interviews were conducted with 15 experts who have complete information about the conditions and potentials of the Silvana region. The sampling method was non-probability and in the form of a snowball. For data analysis, thematic analysis and fuzzy hierarchical process methods were used. Based on the results, 43 identified indicators were classified into three dimensions as government, local people, and investors. The government got the first rank with 0.69, the indigenous people got the second rank with 0.28, and the investors got the third rank with 0.03. Among the indicators related to governance, the establishment of health centers and medical services ranked first among the indicators related to the local community, and the hospitality, warm, and friendly behavior of the local community ranked first. Finally, among the indicators related to investors, investment in creating centers for storing and processing agricultural products won first.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Rural communities face many economic, social, and environmental challenges. Training and promotion of entrepreneurship are effective strategies for reducing unemployment migration and increasing productivity and sustainable development. In Iran, the rural population has decreased, and the villages face economic stagnation, unemployment, and migration. Entrepreneurship can reduce these problems by improving the economic and social conditions of the villagers. Also, tourism, especially ecotourism, plays an important role in economic development and reducing poverty. According to the statistics of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), tourism creates about 220 million jobs in the world. It means that out of every 10 new jobs, one job is related to this field. For 83% of developing countries, tourism is the most important export and source of foreign exchange income. This sector constitutes 6.9% of global GDP and is the third largest service trade in the world. West Azerbaijan province, especially Urmia and Silvana region, is a unique region in terms of nature, which has a high capacity to attract tourists. The question here is:
-Which factors have prevented the creation of such conditions for the residents of this region?
-Secondly, which factors can lead to the development of rural entrepreneurship by attracting tourists?
Moreover, forming ecotourism colonies in the villages of this region. In research, researchers identified factors such as infrastructure development, local people's attitude, destination marketing, government support, private sector participation, education and awareness, and willingness to take risks. Therefore, this research conducted a comprehensive and deep investigation of all the effective factors from different dimensions and their prioritization so that the officials could make more detailed plans.
 
Methodology
This research, with a practical aim and an exploratory approach, has studied the current situation of the Silvana region in Urmia. The statistical population includes 15 region experts who were selected through snowball sampling. First, the meta-analysis method identified primary factors through library studies and documents. Then, new factors were identified using the thematic analysis method through in-depth interviews with experts. Finally, a questionnaire with 3 criteria and 43 sub-criteria was prepared, and a survey was conducted. The Fuzzy AHP method with Chang's approach was used to determine the weight of criteria and sub-criteria, combining the hierarchical analysis process and fuzzy logic in the face of uncertainties.
 
Results and discussion
According to the findings, the most important influential factor in the rural entrepreneurship model with an emphasis on tourism was the government, with an impact of 69%, then the native people, with an impact of 27%, and finally, investors, with an impact of 3%. Also, based on the findings of this research, among the factors related to the government and governance, the factor of "creating health and treatment service centers" is considered the most important. Among the factors related to the native people, "hospitality of the native community and warm and friendly behavior and welcome of tourists" is one of the most important factors of the rural entrepreneurship model with an emphasis on tourism. On the other hand, among the factors related to investors, "investment to create a strong processing center for agricultural products" was identified as one of the most important factors. The findings showed that among the factors affecting rural entrepreneurship with an emphasis on ecotourism in the Silvana, the government plays the most important role by providing the necessary hardware and software infrastructure. The area's local people, through hospitality, cooperation, and preservation of customs, play an important role. Finally, investors can be effective through advertising and promotional activities, entrepreneurial economic activities, and recreational sports activities.
 
 
Conclusion
Based on this article's findings, it is suggested that the government should provide suitable infrastructure for the private sector to enter for investment, including the creation of quality and safe transportation roads, well-equipped and sufficient health and medical centers, the creation of Parks and public transportation terminals in the region. Providing the necessary training for culture, building and promoting the awareness of the local people about the benefits of tourism and familiarizing them with the way of entrepreneurship, creating security, advertising, and providing the necessary facilities by the district administration and municipality to attract domestic and foreign investors. On the other hand, without the cooperation of the native people of the region, no infrastructure will be successful in the development of rural entrepreneurship. People should actively participate in creating ecotourism fields and training courses. Also, maintaining adherence to local coverage and development of rural arts and crafts, offering them in rural bazaars and regional markets weeks, and creating content in virtual space can be one of the leverage factors to attract tourists. Finally, the presence of investors in the field of tourism can attract more tourists or make potential tourists more familiar with this beautiful and unique region, along with the natural attractions of the Silvana region.
 
Funding
There is no funding support.
 
Authors’ Contribution
Authors contributed equally to the conceptualization and writing of the article. All of the authors approved thecontent of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work declaration of competing interest none.
 
Conflict of Interest
Authors declared no conflict of interest.
 
Acknowledgments
 We are grateful to all the scientific consultants of this paper.