Sustainable Tourism and Duality of Nature and Sports; Compilation of Tourism Development Strategies in Kermanshah Province

Today, tourism has grown into one of the broadest and most vibrant industrial systems at a pace unprecedented in history, embarking on a far-reaching, strategic path towards instigating remarkable social, economic, and environmental changes. Iran, given its geographical, historical, and cultural position, could transform into one of the world’s tourism hubs. However, at present, this land's share of tourism benefits is negligible, and it is imperative to establish a firm foothold in this industry through extensively insightful strategizing and judiciously devised measures. Owing to geographic characteristics and a diversity that encompasses mountainous to hot, arid, and desert regions, this province boasts significant tourism potential. The current research probes into Kermanshah Province with its abundant natural-sport tourism capabilities, aiming to eagerly lay the groundwork for economic growth and job opportunities for the community. Tourism can shine as a cultural and social consolidator, luring tourists and investment to the province through a blend of culture, excitement, and sporting activities. While considering the economic boom and community job prospects, this research identifies the capabilities and limitations of developing natural-sport tourism in Kermanshah Province. It aims to present the strategies for developing this sector and recognizing the most effective ones for achieving the intended goal. Indeed, the research introduces a new perspective on harnessing the province's natural endowments, using a mixed-method approach, development-application objective, survey-explorative nature, and cross-sectional timing for data collection techniques from library and survey methods. For data analysis, SWOT and QSPM methods were used, while snowball sampling addressed the sample populous, consisting of 15 individuals knowledgeable in tourism and the province, including five university professors, seven tourism experts, and three tourism group officials. The findings indicate that the position of natural-sport tourism in Kermanshah Province is within the defensive or review strategy sector (WT), giving priority to "Coordinating between various government bodies and sport event organizers to enhance the quality of public services in sport tourism locations, especially air sports centers," followed by "Government reassessment in planning and supporting the private sector... " and "Government backing of reciprocal tourism and sport development through educational courses... " and "Training and utilizing experts within institutions and administrations associated with tourism... " as subsequent priorities. In essence, the development of natural-sport tourism in Kermanshah Province could breathe new life into the local economy, ultimately leading to improved quality of life, environmental conservation, and sustainable development, provided that policies and implementation actions are carried out correctly and with precision. Expanding the developmental planning of natural-sport tourism and facilities in Kermanshah Province will lead to enhanced tourism capabilities, culminating in income generation for local people and responsible institutions, and creating a demand for increased tourism capacity in the province. This, in turn, results in the development of natural-sport tourism and related facilities, forming a developmental cycle in this sector. In comparison with other research on Kermanshah Province, the natural-sport tourism planning in this province, relative to rural tourism, exhibits a more defensive state and is more susceptible to weaknesses and threats. Finally, within the prioritized defensive strategies, practical solutions such as forming a task force of influential government representatives and the private sector of the province to examine the quality of services in natural-sport tourism locations, identifying suitable sports locations in nature, appointing specialized individuals to manage each location, organizing coordination meetings between influential entities and specialist task forces, allocating training budgets to personnel involved in tourism development in influential administrations, and other measures can be pivotal for Kermanshah Province.