Evaluation of Effective Components of Rural Ecotourism in the Sustainable Development of Riab Village, Gonabad City

Purpose: Among the essential needs to achieve sustainable rural development, resource protection is of particular importance, and ecotourism can provide the necessary foundation for implementing development programs and preventing the destruction of natural and cultural resources. The present study was conducted with the aim of influencing the practical components of rural ecotourism in the sustainable development of Riab village, Gonabad city. Methods: The statistical population consists of 200 researchers, officials, experts, and tourism elites in Gonabad city. The sample size of this study is 132 people selected according to the Cochran method. The data collection tool is a questionnaire that includes sections on respondents’ characteristics, the development of ecotourism, and six factors: economic, infrastructure, political, cultural, geography, and education influence the outcome of ecotourism. To determine the validity of the questionnaire, in addition to seeking expert opinion (face validity), convergent validity was used. To calculate its reliability, two Cronbach’s alpha methods were used. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software version 26. Results: The results of stepwise regression showed that infrastructural, cultural, educational and promotional, political and economic, geographical, and natural factors explained a total of 96% of the variance in the variable of ecotourism development in the village (Riab) of Gonabad city. Conclusion: Considering that tourists visit different places for entertainment and relaxation, infrastructure such as transportation, shopping malls, accommodation, and amenities, entertainment should be provided. Entertainment, health care, and restaurants to develop sustainable eco-tourism in rural areas.