Paradigm perspective; A requirement of the tourism industry
On the surface, tourism as one of the potential capacities of the country has always been specially emphasized in the development plans. From the fourth development plan onwards, tourism has always been the focus of the heads of the regime, but the negligence of the governments and neglect of this industry has caused the country to lag behind other countries in the region in this area.
Adapted from Thomas Cohen, a paradigm is a set of assumptions, beliefs and attitudes that eventually manifest themselves in the form of laws, theories, tools and applications. Simply put, a paradigm refers to potential ideas that have been established and become viable. However, the reason for the connection of this term to the tourism industry should be stated as follows: in a simple look at the existing capacities in the country in terms of the existence of rich cultural heritage resulting from history and great civilization, numerous natural gifts and tourism and unique geographical location, this question is in the mind. It can be concluded why, despite such potential capabilities in the country, its contribution to the production of wealth and economic growth is insignificant? Why does tourism not have a share in the macroeconomic equations of the country despite the favorable exploitation of this industry in economic development by some neighboring countries?
In an interview quoted by the head of the Iranian Chamber of Commerce and published in Fars news agency, based on the latest statistics of the World Travel and Tourism Council report, the tourism sector in Iran and before the start of the Corona epidemic, a share equal to 4.2% of the total gross domestic product in 2020. while this number is 7.5% in Qatar and 7.1% in Saudi Arabia. The share of tourism in the total employment of Iran in 2020 was equal to 6.5%, while this figure was 9.4% in UAE and 8.1% in Turkey. The economic competitiveness and tourism index in 2019 has assessed the situation of Iran as bad in this field, so that Iran’s rank is 89 among 140 countries. (Persian, November 30, 1400)
According to the statistics of the World Bank, in 2019 (before the outbreak of Corona), Turkey was able to reach a record income of 41 billion dollars from tourism, but this year, our country earned about 5 billion dollars from this area. Meanwhile, Iran ranks 10th in terms of ancient and historical attractions and 5th in the world in terms of ecotourism. Comparing the income of our country with other countries in the region shows the backwardness in this area and the need for the government to pay special attention to this sector. (IRNA, October 16, 1401)
On the surface, tourism as one of the potential capacities of the country has always been specially emphasized in the development plans. From the fourth development plan onwards, tourism has always been the focus of the heads of the regime, but the negligence of the governments and neglect of this industry has caused the country to lag behind other countries in the region in this area. This issue shows that despite the authorities’ awareness of the importance and impact of tourism in sustainable development, attention to this field as an economic and political stimulus has been neglected and the lack of a paradigmatic view of this industry prevents it from becoming a component. It has become a priority among the statesmen of the country, so that instead of the growing trend of this industry, it has also caused further regression. As the numerous complaints of the senior officials of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts and private sector activists about the allocation of small annual budgets indicate the basic problems of this industry in the country.
Fortunately, there is hope that in the 7th program recently announced by the leader of the revolution, one of the clauses is dedicated to the development of the tourism industry and the promotion of handicrafts. And if this degree of importance is also taken into consideration by the statesmen, it can be effective in determining development-oriented strategies in this field.