Urban Tourism
esmaeel ghaderi; boshra mohajer
Abstract
Low-carbon urban tourism, as one of the prerequisites for sustainable development in Iran, holds special significance due to the environmental challenges stemming from greenhouse gas emissions in urban destinations. This type of tourism is introduced as an innovative solution to mitigate environmental ...
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Low-carbon urban tourism, as one of the prerequisites for sustainable development in Iran, holds special significance due to the environmental challenges stemming from greenhouse gas emissions in urban destinations. This type of tourism is introduced as an innovative solution to mitigate environmental impacts and improve the quality of life for both residents and tourists. The present study examines low-carbon urban tourism by utilizing the meta-synthesis method, a qualitative approach for integrating and analyzing previous studies. Employing this method is essential, as the existing information in this field is scattered, and a comprehensive and coherent perspective is critical for policymaking and planning.
Given the lack of comprehensive and systematic approaches to managing low-carbon tourism in urban destinations, this paper aims to pave the way for the development and implementation of low-carbon urban tourism. The research objective and main question focus on identifying the key components of low-carbon urban tourism to provide a comprehensive framework for policymaking and management in urban destinations.
The proposed conceptual framework of this study, based on the analysis of 79 research articles on low-carbon tourism and low-carbon urban destinations, encompasses macro-level factors (including policymaking, economic, environmental, technological development, and legal aspects) and micro-level factors (such as low-carbon tourism service supply, demand, and destination management).
The findings reveal that achieving low-carbon tourism requires collaboration and coordination across different levels and adopting a systemic perspective that integrates macro- and micro-level factors. This research, by presenting a comprehensive framework, assists policymakers and urban managers in designing and implementing related programs, potentially leading to increased tourist satisfaction, reduced environmental impacts, and the realization of sustainable development in urban destinations.
Urban Planning
boshra mohajer; zahed shafiee; alireza khaje ahmad attari; mohammad taghi toghraee
Abstract
Tourism is an inclusive, public industry that needs to consider all the sectors of the society regardless of age, race, or gender. Tourism and travel must be accessible to all people, including those with disabilities, the elderly, and children. Therefore, it must be an intrinsic part of any responsible, ...
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Tourism is an inclusive, public industry that needs to consider all the sectors of the society regardless of age, race, or gender. Tourism and travel must be accessible to all people, including those with disabilities, the elderly, and children. Therefore, it must be an intrinsic part of any responsible, sustainable tourism policy or strategy. Children are the present and future tourists, who play an important role in destination management. Since they are an important part of the society, it is a requirement to pay attention to the promotion of their creativity, where art can play an important role. Art is a means for creative self-expression. For children, art can be a wonderful emotional outlet that promotes personal reflection, communication skills, and self-esteem. Promotion of creativity and engagement in artistic activities has been shown to stimulate growth in important cognitive areas. On the other hand, tourism has been redirected from cultural tourism, as the second generation, towards creative tourism, as the third generation. Creative tourism has turned away from tangible heritage and sightseeing towards more intangible cultural and authentic experiences. Therefore, it has attracted more attention, as tourists are looking for more authentic, meaningful experiences. Tourist destinations compete to introduce themselves as creative ones in order to meet the needs of travelers, accelerate their economy, and restructure themselves through cultural regeneration. The present paper sought to identify children as emerging markets for creative tourism and specify its key components and to examine the factors effective on child-based creative tourism. Creative tourists are the creators of their own experiences; therefore, they must act as a homogeneous group of producers with creative ideas about their creative experiences. A creative city in the field of crafts, the city of Isfahan, Iran has the potential to become a creative tourism destination based on handicrafts and folk arts, which also seeks to join child-friendly cities. Local authorities believe that tailoring the notion of child-friendly cities with arts and crafts will help Isfahan improve its image, turning the city into an attractive creative destination for children. As playing games and learning are children’s basic expectations from a child-friendly city, they prefer places that afford them opportunities to play and learn actively. Therefore, crafts and folk arts could play an important role in meeting children’s expectations from Isfahan as a creative destination, because the city is a point of reference in Iran and around the world, also nominated the “World City of Handicraft” by the World Crafts Council. As interaction with crafts is acknowledged as an appropriate tool for playing, it can boost children’s creativity, and provide an opportunity for active learning. The main purpose of this study was to obtain a single definition of child-centered creative tourism. The data were collected using snowball sampling and in-depth interviews with 31 tourism, art and handicraft, and children experts. The research used a qualitative method and the thematic theory approach for the identification of the components. The data were categorized based on open, axial, and selective coding. As a result, five distinct components were identified: travel content, children’s needs, creativity, environment, and stakeholders. Each component included several factors that could provide new information on creative tourism for children. This notion and the findings can help destinations to attract children as creative tourists, and their product update will lead to experience and creativity.
