The Effect of Economic, Social, and Natural Factors on the Efficiency of Iran's Tourism Industry

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Sari University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Sari, Iran

2 Faculty of Mathematical Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran

Abstract

Nowadays, Tourism plays an important role in the development of many countries including developing countries, such as Iran which has a high capability in this sector. This study examines the economic (GDP per capita and Inflation), social (security and population), and natural factors (total hours of sunshine, total rainfall, natural attractions) on the efficiency of Iran's tourism industry. The data research included statistics and information from 31 provinces of Iran during the years 2011 to 2017 and the analysis technique of fuzzy data envelopment was utilized to calculate the efficiency of the tourism industry; also, the stochastic Tobit panel model was applied to investigate the economic, social and natural factors. The results of fuzzy efficiency in this study illustrated that during 7 years, only four provinces - Ardabil, Tehran, Kohkiluyeh, Boyer-Ahmad, and Gilan- were efficient each year. Moreover, the results showed that during the period of study, among the factors affecting performance, the variables of natural attractions, total rainfall, GDP per capita, inflation, and security have affected the efficiency of Iran's tourism industry. Among these variables, the natural attraction variable had a higher marginal effect than the other variables. Therefore, according to the results, it is suggested that more efforts be made to identify and rehabilitate natural resources and provide more facilities to preserve pristine tourist areas. 

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Asmuni, H. B. (2008). Fuzzy Methodologies for Automated University Timetabling Solution Construction and Evaluation (Doctoral Dissertation, University of Nottingham, Nottingham). Retrieved from http://delta.cs.cinvestav.mx
Bi, G., Luo, Y., & Liang, L. (2011). Efficiency Evaluation of Tourism Industry with Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA): A Case Study in China. Journal of China Tourism Research, 7(1), 104-116.
Chen, H. S., Tsai, B. K., Liou, G. B., & Hsieh, C. M. (2018). Efficiency Assessment of Inbound Tourist Service Using Data Envelopment Analysis. Sustainability, 10(6), 1-14.
Chen, J. X. (2018). A New Approach to Overall Performance Evaluation Based on Multiple Contexts: An Application to the Logistics of China. Computers & Industrial Engineering - 122(2018), 170-180.
Chaisumpunsakul, W., & Pholphirul, P. (2018). Does International Trade Promote International Tourism Demand? Evidence from Thailand's Trading Partners. Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences, 39, 393-400.
Chaabouni, S. (2019). China's Regional Tourism Efficiency: A Two-Stage Double Bootstrap Data Envelopment Analysis. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 11(2019), 183-191.
Cracolici, M. F., Nijkamp, P., & Rietveld, P. (2008). Assessment of Tourism Competitiveness by Analyzing Destination Efficiency. Tourism Economics, 4(2), 325-342.
Djam, X. Y., & Kimbi, Y.  H. (2011). A Decision Support System for Tuberculosis Diagnosis. The Pacific Journal of Science and Technology, 12(2), 410-425.
Luo, H., Yang, Y., & Law, R. (2014). How to Achieve a High Efficiency Level of the Hotel Industry? International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 26(8), 1140-1161.
Li, R., Guo, Q., Wu, D., Yin, H., Zhang, H. & Zhu, T. (2014). Spatial Characteristics of Development Efficiency for Urban Tourism in Eastern China: A Case Study of Six Coastal Urban Agglomerations. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 24(6), 1175-1197.
Lee, L. C., Wang, Y & Zuo, Jian. (2021). The Nexus of Water-Energy-Food in China's Tourism Industry. Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 164(2021), 105-157.
Kurt, H. S. (2017). Measuring Tourism Efficiency of European Countries by Using Data Envelopment Analysis. European Scientific Journal, 13(10), 31-49.
Becken, S., & Wilson, J. (2013). The Impacts of Weather on Tourist Travel. Tourism Geographies, 15(4), 620-639.
Becken, S. (2013). Developing a Framework for Assessing Resilience of Tourism Subsystems to Climatic Factors. Annals of Tourism Research, 43(2013), 506-528.
Breda, Z., & Costa, C. (2006). Safety and Security Issues Affecting Inbound Tourism in PRC (187-208). In Y. Mansfeld and A. Pizam (Eds.), Tourism, Security and Safety: from Theory to Practice. Butterworht-Heinemann: Elsevier.
Chiu, C. N. (2018). How Can Managerial Efficiency be Improved? Evidence From the Bed and Breakfast Industry. Tourism Management Perspectives, 27(2018), 111-124.
De Jorge, J., & Suárez, C. (2014). Productivity, Efficiency and Its Determinant Factors in Hotels. The Service Industries Journal, 34(4), 37–41.
Edgell, D. L., DelMastro, A. M., Smith, G., & Swanson, J. R. (2008). Tourism Policy and Planning: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow. Oxford: Elsevier.
Fatima, Tahniyath & Elbanna, Said. (2020). Balanced Scorecard in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry: Past, Present and Future. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 91(2020), 1-2656.
Freyer, W., & Schroder, A. (2007). Tourism and Terrorism: An Analytical Framework with Special Focus on the Media (129-141). In E. Laws, B. Prideaux, and K. S. Chon, Crisis Management in Tourism. Oxon: CAB International.
Henderson, J. C. (2007). Tourism Crisis: Causes, Consequences and Management. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann.
Honma, S., & Hu, J. L. (2012). Analyzing Japanese Hotel Efficiency. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 12(3), 155–167.
Simar, L., & Wilson, P. W. (2000). A General Methodology for Bootstrapping in Non-Parametric Frontier Models. Journal of Applied Statistics, 27(6), 779–802.
Shuai, J. J., & Wu, W. W. (2011). Evaluating the Influence of E-marketing on Hotel Performance by DEA and Grey Entropy. Expert Systems with Applications, 38(7), 8763-8769.
Popescu, L. (2011). Safety and Security in Tourism. Case Study: Romania, Forum geographic, 2(2011), 322-328.
Ridderstaat, J., Oduber, M., Croes, R., Nijkamp, P., & Martens, P. (2014). Impacts of Seasonal Patterns of Climate on Recurrent Fluctuations in Tourism Demand: Evidence from Aruba. Tourism Management, 41(2014), 24-256.
Rossell_O-Nadal, J. (2014). How to Evaluate the Effects of Climate Change on Tourism? Tourism Management, 42(2014), 334-340.
Ross, T. J. (2005). Fuzzy Logic with Engineering Application. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons., Ltd.
Rafiei Darani, H., & Asghari, H. (2018). Study of International Tourism Demand in Middle East by Panel Data Model. International Journal of Culture. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 12(1), 80-88.
Tarlow, P. E. (2009). Tourism Safety and Security (464-480). In T. Jamal, M. Robinson (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Tourism Studies. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Tarlow, P. E. (2006). Crime and Tourism (92-101). In J. Wilks, D. Pendergast, and P. Leggat, Tourism in Turbulent Times: Towards Safe Experiences for Visitors. Oxford: Elsevier Ltd.
Ozkoc, H., Bakan, H., & Baldemi̇r, E. (2013). Testing the Validity of the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index in the World Economic Forum with Classical and Fuzzy Data Envelopment Analyses. Problemy Turystyki i Rekreacji, 4(2013), 121-128.
Oliveira, R., Pedro, M. I., & Marques, R. C. (2015). Efficiency Evaluation of Portuguese Hotels in the Algarve Using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Revista Brasileira de Gestão de Negócios, 17(54), 788-795.
The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report (WTTC). (2019). Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/
Goh, C. (2012). Exploring Impact of Climate on Tourism Demand. Annals of Tourism Research, 39(4), 1859-1883.
Martín, M. B. G. (2005). Weather, Climate and Tourism a Geographical Perspective. Annals of Tourism Research, 32(3), 571-591.
Wang, L., Fang, B. & Law, R. (2018). Effect of Air Quality in the Place of Origin on Outbound Tourism Demand: Disposable Income as a Moderator. Tourism Management, 68(2018), 152-161.
Wilks, J., & Page, S. (2003). Managing Tourist Health and Safety in the New Millennium. Oxford: Elsevier Science Ltd.
Wu, J., Tsai, H., & Zhou, Z. (2011). Improving Efficiency in International Tourist Hotels in Taipei Using a Non-Radial DEA Model. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 23(1), 66-83.
Iranian Economic Review
Volume 27, Issue 2
July 2023
Pages 425-446

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics