Evaluation of Tourism Investment Priorities in Zoroastrian Villages of Yazd Province, Iran

Abstract

Rural tourism is a form of tourism that has received more attention in recent years. Investment in rural tourism can be useful for improving the lives of local community. Among provinces of Iran, Yazd has the potential for development of rural tourism because of its unique cultural and climatic features. In this study, 4 Zoroastrian villages including Rahat Abad, Cham, Mobarakeh and Mazrae Kalantar were studied from different aspects to be prioritized for tourism investment. This study is an applied research that used qualitative and quantitative data. First, through the study of literature and interviews with experts, the weight of the different criteria for investment in rural tourism was determined using AHP technique. Then local people were interviewed and Fuzzy TOPSIS technique was used to measure quantitative indicators. The results show that Mazrae Kalantar received the highest score (0.73) and was the best village for investment. Rahat Abad, Mobarakeh and Cham, respectively, have the next places for tourism investment priorities.