Investigating the impact of sustainable tourism indicators on urban environment protection (North Tehran tourism hub)

Document Type : Original Research Articles

Authors

1 Department of Human Geography and planning, faculty of geography, university of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

2 Department of Tourism, Qeshm International Campus, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Cities are often densely populated, and green spaces are limited. Sustainable tourism practices can help protect these areas by reducing the number of visitors and promoting environmentally friendly activities, such as bird watching or nature walks. Therefore, the aim of this research was to investigate the impact of sustainable tourism indicators in the direction of protecting the urban environment. The current research method was descriptive-correlation. The statistical population was the tourists who visited the tourist attractions of Lavasan to Gachsar during April 2024, and using Cochran's formula and simple random sampling, 384 people were selected as the statistical sample. To collect data, a sustainable tourism indicators questionnaire and an urban environmental protection questionnaire were used. The findings showed that there is a relationship between economic factors (T=3.132), tolerable capacity of the city (T=3.091), non-physical infrastructure of tourism (T=6.037) and physical infrastructure of tourism (T=2.649) and protection of the urban environment. This study concludes that sustainable tourism indicators can be used to monitor and evaluate the impact of tourism on the environment, culture and economy. The study also shows that promoting sustainable tourism practices, such as reducing waste and saving energy, can help reduce the negative effects of tourism on the environment.

Keywords

Main Subjects


Bashiri, Z., Shahivandi, A., & Baratiyan, A. (2018). Development of Applied Measurements of Urban Environmental Quality Assessment in Central City Metropolises of Hamedan (Case Study: Aghajani Beig Neighborhood). Geography and Environmental Planning, 29(1), 65-94. https://doi.org/10.22108/GEP.2018.98320.0  
Bayramzadeh, N., & Foadmarashi, M. (2023). Spatial analysis of the development of townships from the perspective of physical indicators of livability (Case study: the townships of West Azerbaijan province). Geography and Regional Future Studies, 1(2), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.30466/grfs.2023.54809.1007  [In Persian]
Blancas, F. J., & Lozano-Oyola, M. (2022). Sustainable tourism evaluation using a composite indicator with different compensatory levels. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 93, 106733. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2021.106733
Bošković, N., Vujičić, M., & Ristić, L. (2020). Sustainable tourism development indicators for mountain destinations in the Republic of Serbia. Current Issues in Tourism, 23(22), 2766-2778. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2019.1666807
Contu, G., Conversano, C., Frigau, L., & Mola, F. (2019). The impact of Airbnb on hidden and sustainable tourism: the case of Italy. International Journal of Tourism Policy, 9(2), 99-130. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJTP.2019.102627
Dwyer, L. (2023). Sustainable development of tourism: Research and policy challenges. Highlights of Sustainability, 2(2), 83-99. https://doi.org/10.54175/hsustain2020008  
Gkoumas, A. (2019). Evaluating a standard for sustainable tourism through the lenses of local industry. Heliyon, 5(11). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02707
Haghi, M. R., & Heidarzadeh, E. (2022). Factors driving the realization of sustainable urban tourism with ecotourism approach, Case study: Khansar city. Journal of Tourism and Development, 11(2), 19-36. https://doi.org/10.22034/JTD.2021.285189.2338
Hoseinpour, M., Mousavi, M., & Ghalehteimouri, K. J. (2024). Enhancing urban and regional development for border security in Iran: A futures study of West Azerbaijan province. Town Reg. Plan., 84, 15–28. https://doi.org/10.38140/trp.v84i.7823
Imani, B., & Madani, J. (2024). Green Rural Tourism: Investigating the Factors Influencing the Development of Sustainable and Environmentally Preserver Rural Tourism. Journal of Environmental Science Studies, 8(4), 7305-7317. https://doi.org/10.22034/JESS.2023.394087.2010[In Persian]
Kozhokulov, S., Chen, X., Yang, D., Issanova, G., Samarkhanov, K., & Aliyeva, S. (2019). Assessment of tourism impact on the socio-economic spheres of the Issyk-Kul Region (Kyrgyzstan). Sustainability, 11(14), 3886. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11143886
Kurniati, R., Kurniawati, W., Ristianti, N. S., & Syahri, E. K. (2023). Strategies for Sustainable Urban Tourism in Kampoeng Batik, Semarang, Indonesia. Strategies. https://isvshome.com/pdf/ISVS_10-1/ISVSej10.1.1_Rina%20Kurniati.pdf
Lee, T. H., & Jan, F. H. (2021). The effect of leisure and recreation on sustainable tourism: an editorial commentary. Sustainability, 14(1), 54. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010054
Lozano-Oyola, M., Blancas, F. J., González, M., & Caballero, R. (2012). Sustainable tourism indicators as planning tools in cultural destinations. Ecological indicators, 18, 659-675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2012.01.014
Makian, S., Jalalabadi, L., & Qezelbash, A. H. (2024). Identifying Sustainable Tourism Indicators of Urban Destinations in Developing Countries Using DEMATEL-ISM. Journal of Sustainability Research, 6(2). https://sustainability.hapres.com/htmls/JSR_1586_Detail.html
Marchi, V., Marasco, A., & Apicerni, V. (2023). Sustainability communication of tourism cities: A text mining approach. Cities, 143, 104590. https://doi.org/S026427512300402X 
Matijová, M., Šenková, A., Vargová, T. D., & Matušíková, D. (2023). Tourism Indicators and Their Differentiated Impact on Sustainable Tourism Development. Journal of Tourism and Services, 14(27), 89-117. https://doi.org/10.29036/jots.v14i27.530
Mousavi, M. N., Shirazi, S. A., Nasar-u.-Minallah, M., & Bayramzadeh, N. (2025). Introducing the Mousavi Primate City Index for Iran’s Urban System assessment. GEOGRAPHY, ENVIRONMENT, SUSTAINABILITY, 18(1), 44–53. https://doi.org/10.24057/2071-9388-2025-3218
Mousavi, M., Jafarpour Ghalehteimouri, K., & Bayramzadeh, N. (2025). Assessing social infrastructure in border areas from a city prosperity perspective: a case study of border townships in West Azarbaijan Province, Iran. Discov. Cities, 2(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44327-025-00057-3
Penjišević, I., Lukić, T., Milosavljević, S., Jandžiković, B., Šabić, D., Dragojlović, J., & Valjarević, A. (2024). Sustainable Tourism near the City—A Case Study of Stolovi Mountain, Serbia. Sustainability, 16(2), 782. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16020782
Punzo, G., Trunfio, M., Castellano, R., & Buonocore, M. (2022). A multi-modelling approach for assessing sustainable tourism. Social Indicators Research, 163(3), 1399-1443. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-022-02943-4
Rahdar, A. (2024). Urban tourism development challenges and strategies based on SWOT-QSPM model (case study: Ahvaz metropolis). Geography and Human Relationships, 6(4), 87-111. https://doi.org/10.22034/GAHR.2023.428091.1996[In Persian]
Razali, M. K., & Ismail, H. N. (2014). A sustainable urban tourism indicator in Malaysia. WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, 187(6), 133-145.
Saadatian, O., Haw, L. C., Mat, S. B., & Sopian, K. (2012). Perspective of sustainable development in Malaysia. International journal of energy and environment, 6(2), 260-267. https://www.researchgate.net
Santos, M. C., Veiga, C., Santos, J. A. C., & Águas, P. (2022). Sustainability as a success factor for tourism destinations: A systematic literature review. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 14(1), 20-37. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-10-2021-0139 
Shahzada, N., Panezai, S., & Kakar, A. K. (2024). Citizen Satisfaction with Municipal Services: A Meta-analysis. Geography and Regional Future Studies, 1(3), 64-80. https://doi.org/10.30466/grfs.2024.55104.1041
Sobhani, P., Esmaeilzadeh, H., Sadeghi, S. M. M., Marcu, M. V., & Wolf, I. D. (2022). Evaluating ecotourism sustainability indicators for protected areas in Tehran, Iran. Forests, 13(5), 740. https://doi.org/10.3390/f13050740
Stojanović, T., Trišić, I., Brđanin, E., Štetić, S., Nechita, F., & Candrea, A. N. (2024). Natural and sociocultural values of a tourism destination in the function of sustainable tourism development—An example of a protected area. Sustainability, 16(2), 759. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16020759
Tanguay, G. A., Rajaonson, J., & Therrien, M. C. (2013). Sustainable tourism indicators: Selection criteria for policy implementation and scientific recognition. Journal of sustainable Tourism, 21(6), 862-879. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2012.742531
Wang, J., Dai, J., Gao, W., Yao, X., Dewancker, B. J., Gao, J., ... & Zeng, J. (2024). Achieving Sustainable Tourism: Analysis of the Impact of Environmental Education on Tourists’ Responsible Behavior. Sustainability, 16(2), 552. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16020552
White, V., McCrum, G., Blackstock, K. L., & Scott, A. (2006). Indicators and sustainable tourism: Literature review. Macaulay Institute: Aberdeen, UK. https://macaulay.webarchive.hutton.ac.uk/ruralsustainability/LiteratureReview.pdf
Yuedi, H., Sanagustín-Fons, V., Coronil, A. G., & Moseñe-Fierro, J. A. (2023). Analysis of tourism sustainability synthetic indicators. A case study of Aragon. Heliyon, 9(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15206
Zaiari, K., & Rokhsari, H. (2019). Title: Prioritization and categorization of tourist attractions based on tourists preferences with co-plot multivariate analysis (Case study: Yazd city). urban tourism, 6(3), 17-31. https://doi.org/10.22059/JUT.2019.242108.387
Zaiari, K., Farhadikhah, H., Arvin, M., & Zafari, S. (2019). Strategic planning of gardens-oriented tourism development (Case study: traditional gardens of Qazvin). urban tourism, 5(4), 153-170. https://doi.org/10.22059/JUT.2018.247257.421[In Persian]
Ziari, K., & Mahmood, R. (2022). Developing strategic planning for the sustainability of the natural environment in areas with tourism capability the Case study of Lashkarak-Dizin tourist axis. urban tourism, 9(4), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.22059/JUT.2023.234815.332
Ziari, K., Farhadikhah, H., Arvin, M., & Zafari, S. (2019). Strategic planning of gardens-oriented tourism development (Case study: traditional gardens of Qazvin). urban tourism, 5(4), 153-170. https://doi.org/10.22059/JUT.2018.247257.421
Ziari, K., Torkashavand, A., & mahmood, R. (2022). Developing strategic planning for the sustainability of the natural environment in areas with tourism capability the Case study of Lashkarak-Dizin tourist axis. urban tourism, 9(4), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.22059/JUT.2023.234815.332[In Persian]
Ziari, K., Zareei, J., & Rezaeinia, H . (2015) Evaluation role of tourism marketing in urban tourism development (Case Study: Lalejin city). https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net
Ziyari, K., Ghasemi, Y., Hataminejad, H., & Gharakhlou, M. (2015). Strategic planning for development of tourism capabilities in Urban areas Case study: city of Orumieh. Geography and Development, 13(38), 169-188.. https://doi.org/10.22111/GDIJ.2015.1938[In Persian]