The Role of ICT in Sustainable Tourism Development and Natural Resources Capabilities: a Case Study of Ardabil Province

Due to the appropriate geographical and historical conditions and has many tourist attractions in various historical, cultural, and natural fields, Ardabil province has not been able to transform its tourism industry in accordance with these capabilities and capacities of information and communication technology and provides a complete information base that can provide the information needed by each of the domestic and foreign tourists, such as physical infrastructure, climatic conditions of the region, suitable times for travel, etc. Therefore, using these perspectives in the development of the tourism industry in Ardabil province is of special importance and necessity. Accordingly, this study aims to evaluate the challenges, capabilities, and strategies for sustainable tourism development with an emphasis on the use of information and communication technology in Ardabil province. The type of applied research and its method is analytical and descriptive and the method of collecting information is library and documentary. The results of the SWOT model show that the historical, cultural, and natural background of Ardabil province with a final coefficient of ۰.۶۰۵ is the most important internal strength. The most important threat in the use of information and communication technology in the development of the tourism industry is related to the insufficient commitment of senior managers in the establishment of information and communication technology in the province. According to the respondents to the questionnaire, this threat point has the highest score among the threat points. This threat point with a final coefficient of ۰.۲۵۵ is ranked first in the threat points in the development of the tourism industry in Ardabil province based on information technology.

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Keywords: Tourism , information and communication technology , SWOT model , Ardabil province