The Effects of Tourism Activities on Rural Economy

The high volume of tourists in different regions of Guilan (province) has brought many economic impacts to the local and rural communities. The main aim of this book is spatial analysis of tourism activities on rural economy based on the spatial distribution of tourism’s benefits. Study area of the research was Rezvanshahr in the North of Iran. Research required data were collected through field study and some documents. Collected data have analysed based on spatial analysis using Geographical Information system. The results showed that tourism both positively and negatively affect rural settlements including an improvement in local inhabitants’ qualities of life and resettlement of mountainous areas; increased land demands especially in coastal and mountainous areas and environmental damages respectively. Therefore it is necessary for the specialists and authorities to stabilize and legalize land use in order to preserve the natural resources as well as preventing illegal changes by adopting effective deterrent laws and regulations since the results indicate that favourable outcomes of tourism activities are achieved along with productive activities.