Associate Professor, Department of Management, Islamic Azad University, Zanjan Branch, Zanjan, Iran
Abstract: (70 Views)
Nature tourism, as one of the most significant forms of sustainable tourism, plays a substantial role in environmental conservation, local community development, and economic value creation. However, achieving sustainability objectives in this domain necessitates the adoption of innovative marketing approaches capable of simultaneously addressing environmental, socio-cultural, and economic considerations. Accordingly, the primary aim of the present study is to identify and prioritize sustainable marketing indicators affecting nature tourists, so as to provide a scientific framework for decision-making by tourism managers and policymakers. This research is exploratory-applied in purpose and employs a descriptive-analytical approach. In the first phase, through a systematic review of the literature and previous studies, 31 initial indicators were identified. Following screening and refinement via the Delphi method with the participation of 15 university professors and expert managers in the field of tourism, 16 final indicators were confirmed across three main criteria: environmental, socio-cultural, and economic-marketing. Subsequently, to determine the relative importance of the criteria and sub-criteria, while accounting for uncertainty and ambiguity in human judgments, the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) using Chang's extent analysis and pairwise comparisons was employed. The findings indicate that the environmental, socio-cultural, and economic-marketing criteria are of high importance in sustainable marketing for nature tourism, respectively, and the inconsistency ratio of the comparisons falls within an acceptable range, confirming the validity of the experts' judgments. The prioritization results can serve as a practical basis for designing sustainable marketing strategies, enhancing destination image, and improving the nature tourist experience, ultimately contributing to the sustainable development of nature tourism destinations.