Delineating the future of smart agricultural tourism in Kermanshah province and its development Strategies

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, College of Agriculture & Nature Resources, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran

2 Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, College of Agriculture & Nature Resources, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran

10.22059/ijaedr.2026.405179.669397

Abstract

The current study attempted to investigate on the future of smart agricultural tourism and identify development strategies based on force field analysis in Kermanshah Province using a mixed-methods approach (qualitative and quantitative). The research population consisted of experts from the agricultural and tourism sectors and key informant farmers, totaling 18 individuals. These participants were selected purposefully using specific criteria and snowball sampling methods. Data analysis for the qualitative phase was performed using two stages of open and axial coding through MaxqdaWin18 software, resulting in the identification of 55 barriers and 43 facilitators across seven dimensions: economic, institutional., infrastructural., social., educational., psychological., and cultural factors. The identified barriers and facilitators were compiled into a questionnaire, which was then used to assess their current status. After collecting the completed questionnaires, the data were coded, described, and analyzed using force field analysis methods with SPSSWin20 and Pathmakerwin5.5 software. The results indicated that the scores for barrier forces across all seven identified factors were higher than those for facilitators. This negative outcome clearly indicates that the smart agritourism ecosystem is in an "unfavorable equilibrium" and a "static state." In this condition, the barriers are so strong that they negate any efforts to initiate change and move toward development. According to the research finding, overcoming the existing unfavorable balance requires the simultaneous implementation of integrated solutions at the institutional, infrastructure, and empowerment levels. Among these measures is the creation of an action-oriented program focused on creating an integrated digital platform for the province that can act as the primary driving force for development in this area by directly linking farmers to the market, simplifying management, and promoting smart marketing.

Keywords

Extended Abstract

Introduction

The fourth generation of tourism, known as smart tourism, serves as a means to enhance employment and promote sustainable economic growth. However, the development of this form of tourism, particularly within the agricultural sector, has not met expectations. This study was conducted using a mixed-methods approach (qualitative and quantitative) to outline the future of smart agricultural tourism and identify development strategies based on force field analysis in Kermanshah Province.

  Method

   The research employed a mixed-methods approach (qualitative and quantitative) and followed an exploratory design. It was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, the study identified the obstacles and facilitators to the development of smart agricultural tourism in the province. This qualitative phase involved a research population of 18 experts from the agricultural and tourism sectors, as well as key farmers, who were purposefully selected through criteria and snowball sampling. The second stage of the research focused on outlining the future development of smart agricultural tourism and utilized a quantitative approach. Data for this phase were collected via a questionnaire, which was based on the findings from the first stage. The statistical population for this part also consisted of 18 experts and key farmers from the agricultural and tourism sectors. After the questionnaires were completed, the data were coded, described, and analyzed using the force field analytical method with SPSSWin20 and PathmakerWin5.5 software.

 

Results

    The research findings identified 55 barriers and 43 facilitators, organized into seven categories: economic, institutional., infrastructural., social., educational., psychological., and cultural factors. The analysis revealed that the number of barriers to the development of smart agricultural tourism outweighed the facilitators. In other words, the total score of barriers across all dimensions exceeded that of the facilitators. This negative outcome indicates that the smart agricultural tourism ecosystem in Kermanshah province is currently in an "unfavorable balance" and remains static. The inhibiting forces (obstacles) are so significant that they counteract any efforts toward development. Consequently, without targeted planning to mitigate and remove these barriers, we cannot expect to see progress in smart agricultural tourism in the province in the future. The identified barriers were predominantly structural and macro-level issues manageable by governing institutions, whereas the facilitators were more localized and reliant on individual initiative. After categorizing the facilitators and barriers and assessing their current status, the next step involved identifying measures to weaken the barriers. Ultimately, six key implementation measures were established. The hypothetical application of these measures demonstrated a reduction in the impact of barriers and an enhancement of the facilitators' strength. This finding highlights that development is not only attainable through the creation and execution of intelligent, integrated, and community-oriented solutions, but also that the balance of power can be shifted to favor progress and prosperity.

 

Conclusions

    The results of this study provide a clear and nuanced view of smart agricultural tourism in the province. On one hand, the prevalence of barriers compared to facilitators indicates a significant ongoing challenge. Structural., economic, and institutional obstacles have hindered any spontaneous development in this area, demonstrating a lack of sufficient momentum to break the existing cycle of difficulties. On the other hand, a key finding of this study is the effectiveness of targeted and integrated interventions. Simulating the potential impact of the proposed strategies clearly shows that the system is flexible and responsive to proactive measures. The notable reduction in barriers and the increase in facilitators following these hypothetical interventions indicate that we can overcome the notion of helplessness in the face of challenges. Achieving this requires moving beyond a narrow viewpoint and adopting a holistic, systematic approach.

Author Contributions

All authors contributed equally to the conceptualization of the article and writing of the original and subsequent drafts.

Data Availability Statement

Data available on request from the authors.

 

 

Acknowledgements

This work is based upon research funded by the Iran National Science Foundation (INSF) under project No. 4044603.

Ethical considerations

This study was derived from a research project (Grant No. 4044603) scientifically approved by the Iran National Science Foundation (INSF). The research protocol was reviewed and approved as part of the INSFs grant evaluation process. All materials and methods were performed in accordance with the instructions and regulations and this research has been approved by a committee at the Iran National Science Foundation (INSF), Iran. The authors avoided data fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and misconduct.

Conflict of interest

The author declares no conflict of interest.

References

REFERENCES
Aslani, N., Andrews, L., & Aria, K. (2024). Presenting a model of smart tourism development strategies in Iran. Journal of Marketing Management, 63, 36-20. (In persian). 
Asadporian, Z., Rahimiyan, M. & Gholamrezai, S. (2019).Identification of Criteria and Assessment of the Level of Sustainable Ecotourism Development in Tourism Poles of Lorestan Province. Iranian Journal of Agricultural Economics AND Development Research,2-50(2), 499-482. (In persian). 
Amerion, A., Razavi, S. P., Abdi, Q., Tofighi, Sh., Rafati, H., & Amerion, E. (2011). The effect of force field analysis (Levin's curve) on the current service level of selected military health centers in Mazandaran province. Scientific and research journal of the Army University of Medical Sciences of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2(9), 87-98. (In persian) 
Anabestani, A.A., & Barani Ali Akbari, S., (2024). Spatial analysis of factors affecting the formation of a smart rural tourism approach (case study: tourism target villages in the east of Kermanshah province). Spatial Planning, 14(3), 87-114. 10.22108/SPPL.2024.141126.1782 https://doi.org/. (In persian).
Ataee, M., Sharifi Renani, H. & Ghobadi, S. (2024). The Effect of Smart Tourism Sustainable Development on the Economic Growth in Selected Tourist Destinations. Journal of Urban Studies on Space and Place. 8(30), 49-62. (In persian).
Arifyanto, A. F. S. U. (2021). Strategic Entrepreneurship: Integrating Entrepreneurial and Strategic Management Perspectives, a Case Study at Pesantren Tebuireng Jombang. East Java in International Research Conference on Economics and Business, KnE Social Sciences, 256–264.
Bahmani, A., Ghadiri Masoom, M., Hajilo, M., Azimi, F., & Ghadiri Masoom, M. (2021). An Analysis of the Factors Affecting the Development of Agricultural Tourism and the Establishment of Entrepreneurial Foundations in Rural Areas: A Case Study of the Villages in Kermanshah Province. Journal of Applied Research in Geographical Sciences, 21(63), 325-315. (In persian).
Baulcomb, J. S., (2003). Management of Change through Force Field Analysis, Journal of Nursing Management, 11, 275.80.
Bahatta, K., Itagaki, M. & Ohe, Y., (2019). Determinant facyors of farmer's willingness to start agritourism in rural Nepal. Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, 4(1), 146-167. https://doi.org/10.1515/opag-2019-0043.
Ciolac, R., Iancu, T., Popescu, G., Adamov, T., Feher, A. & Stanciu, S., (2022). Smart Tourist VillageAn Entrepreneurial Necessity for Maramures Rural Area. Sustainability, 14(14), 8914.  https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148914.
De Siano, R., & Canale, R. R., (2022). Controversial effects of tourism on economicgrowth: A spatial analysis on Italian provincial data. Land Use Policy, 117, 106081. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2022.106081.
European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM). (2004). Institutional development: Learning by doing and sharing approaches and tools for supporting institutional development. Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Poverty Policy and Institutional Development Division (DSI/AI), 1-15.
Flores-Crespo, P., Bermudez-Edo, M. & Garrido, J. L., (2022). Smart tourism in Villages: Challenges and the Alpujarra Case Study. Procedia Computer Science, 204(2):663-670. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2022.08.080.
Gretzel, U., Werthner, H., Koo, C., & Lamsfus, C. (2015). Conceptual foundations for understanding smart tourism ecosystems. Computers in Human Behavior, 50, 558-563. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.03.043.
Ghiyathvand, M. & Abbasi, E. (2024). Challenges and Solutions for Smart Agricultural Tourism: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Iranian Journal of Agricultural Extension and Education Sciences, 20 (2), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.22034/iaeej.2025.226359. (In persian).
Hassanpour, H., & Kazemi, A.R. (2023), Ethical Challenges of Influencing behavior using computer technology, Scientific Quarterly Journal Vital Sciences and Emerging Fields, 1(1), 158-192. (In persian).
Istin, A. E., Eryılmaz, G., & Uzülmez, M., (2022). Technology applications in the Asiantourism industry in future. In Technology Application in Tourism in Asia: Innovations, Theories and Practices, 441-469. Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5461-9_27.
Kim, J. Y., Chung, N., & Ahn, K. M., (2019). The impact of mobile tour information services on destination travel intention. Information Development, 2019: 35(1), 107–120. https://doi.org/10.1177/0266666917730437.
Kumar, S., (2001). Force field analysis: applications in PRA, PLA notes, London. IIED, 199(36), 17-23.
Kamali, M., Asayesh, H., & Aria-Mehr, Y., (2022). The necessity of paying attention to tourism to achieve economic growth in the Seventh Development Plan. Quarterly Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities, 15(57), 95-112. https://doi.org/10.22035/isih.2022.4491.4464. (In persian) 
Lee Chin, W., Dato Musa, S. F. P. & Coetzee, W., (2021). Agritourism resilience against Covid-19: Impacts and management strategies. Chin & Pehin Dato Musa, Cogent Social.7 (1), 314-327. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2021.1950290.
Li, J., Xu, L., Tang, L., Wang, S. & Li, L. (2018). Big data in tourism research: A literature review. Tourism Management,68, 308-321.
Li, W. Z. & Zhong, H. (2022). Development of a smart tourism integration model to preserve the cultural heritage of ancient villages in Northern Guangxi. Heritage Science, 10(1), 1-15.
Martínez, J. M. G., Martín, J. M. M., Fernandez, J. A. S., & Mogorrón-Guerrero, H., (2019). An analysis of the stability of rural tourism as a desired condition for sustainable tourism. Journal of Business Research, 100(4), 165-174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jbusres.2019.03.033.
Mirzaei Rezghabadi, Z, Ghasemi, M., & Kharazmi, O. A., (2024). Rural people's perception of smart tourism destination components, case study: Qom province. Journal of Rural Research, 15(4), 155-177. https://doi.org/10.22059/JRUR.2024.370216.1898. (In persian) 
Parsipour, H., Hosseinzadeh, A., & Aqeli-Moghaddam, H., (2021). Ranking and analysis of the degree of development of the country's provinces. Journal of Land Geography Engineering, 6(4), 751-766. https://doi.org/20.1001.1.25381490.1400.5.10.4.2. (In persian) 
Rietbergen-McCracken J., & Narayan D., (1998). Participation and social Assessment: Tools and techniques. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), World Bank Research Institute: N.W. Washington, D.C. USA.
Rezvani, M. R., Faraji S., Farajali, Ghadiri Masoom, M., & Zinati-Fakhrabad, H., (2024). Systematic review of smart tourism research in rural areas (2000-2022). Journal of Rural Research, 15(3), 198-183. https://doi.org/10.22059/JRUR.2025.356635.1825. (In persian).
Rezaei, R.A. & Paski, A.A. (2015). Analysis of Tourism Development Problems in Rural Areas of Qazvin Province (Case Study: Gazerkhan Village). Iranian Journal of Agricultural Economics and Development Research. 46(2), 284-277. (In persian).
Razzaghi Borkhani, F. & Mohammadi, Y. (2018). The Design of TOWS Strategic Modelfor Rural and Agricultural TourismDevelopment of Mazandaran Province. Iranian Journal of Agricultural Economics and Development Research.2-49 (3), 525-509. (In persian).
Raimundo, R. J. G., Travassos Rosário, A. M. F. & Rocha, A. L. M. (2022). Knowledge Management in Marketing. In T. Guarda, S. Anwar, M. Leon, & F. J. Mota Pinto (Eds.), Information and Knowledge in Internet of Things. 59-78. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Soleman-Nejad, R., Alibaygi, A.H., & Salehi, L., (2021a). Analysis of stakeholders in sustainable agricultural tourism development in the west of Mazandaran Province. Quarterly Journal of Rural Research, 12(4), 683-662. (In persian) 
Soleman-Nejad, R., (2021). Explanation of agricultural tourism with a sustainability approach in the west of Mazandaran Province. PhD thesis, Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Razi University, Kermanshah.  (In persian) 
Soleman-Nejad, R., Alibaygi, A.H., & Salehi, L., (2022). Capacities of the west of Mazandaran Province for sustainable agricultural tourism development. Quarterly Journal of Tourism Planning and Development, 10 (39), 112-79 https://doi.org/10.22059/JRUR. 2022. 330327.1672. (In persian) 
Safri Ali-Akbari, M., (2022). Analysis of the smart tourism context in tourism target villages and obstacles ahead (case study: Paveh County). Quarterly Journal of Rural and Sustainable Development of Space, 3(4), 64-44. https://doi.org/10.22077/VSSD. 2023.5697.1138. (In persian) 
Salahi-Kajour, A., Razavi, S. M. H., Amirnezhad, S., Mohammadi, N., & Taghi-Pourian, Mohammad J., (2021). Designing a smart tourism model in the sports industry with a data-based approach, Tourism and Development, 10(3), 167-180. https://doi.org/10.22034/jtd.2020.230183.2030.(In persian).
Singha, M., Lee, M. & Tsai, K. (2025). The impact of smart tourism technologies on engagement, experiences, and place attachment: A focused study with gamification as the moderator. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management 36, 100997.
Shen, S., & Wang, Q., (2018). Innovation Strategy of traditional village tourism development in Liaoning Province under the background of Smart Village Construction. In 2018 International Conference on Intelligent Transportation, Big Data & Smart City (ICITBS. IEEE.85-88. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICITBS.2018.00030
Tayeb-Nia, S. H., & Fattahi, R., (2019). Analysis and classification of the degree of development of the cities of Kermanshah province. Journal of Land Geography Engineering, 3(6, No. 6), 17-29.  (In persian) 
Varmazyari, H., Rahimi, A.R., & Babaei, M., (2017). Analysis of desirable agricultural tourism activities and services: A case study of tourists in East Alamut, Tourism Development Planning, 6(21), 77-95. https://doi.org/10.22080/JTPD.2017.1529.(In persian).
 Varotsis, N. (2022). Digital Entrepreneurship and Creative Industries in Tourism: A Research Agenda Economies, 10(7), 167. Retrieved from https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7099/10/7/167.  
Xiang, Z., & Fesenmaier, D. R., (2017). Big data analytics, tourism design and smart tourism. Analytics in smart tourism design: concepts and methods, 299-307. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44263-1_17.
Yang, J., Yang, R., Chen, M. H., Su, C. H. J., Zhi, Y., & Xi, J., (2021). Effects of rural revitalization on rural tourism. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 47(3), 35-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2021.02.008.
Zinati-Fakhrabad, H., (2025). A Model for the Development of Smart Tourism Destinations in Rural Areas: A Study of Tourism Target Villages in Alborz Province. PhD dissertation, Department of Human Geography, Faculty of Geography, University of Tehran. (In persian).
Zhang, Sh. (2022). Intelligent agricultural tourism recommendation based on smart network. Agronomy journal, 114(6), 3531-3543.
Iranian Journal of Agricultural Economics and Development Research
Volume 56, Issue 3
February 2026
Pages 179-213

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics