Examining the Standards of an Indigenous Model for Participatory Tourism Development

Sustainable development is a dominant approach in development policymaking and planning, including tourism. Achieving sustainable tourism development requires effective public participation within a coherent, organized, and purposeful framework. Accordingly, this study seeks to identify the standards and requirements of an indigenous participatory tourism development model in Iran. Given the absence of a comprehensive and context-specific model, a qualitative approach was employed. Data were collected through the perspectives of tourism experts from across Iran, with particular attention to the legal capacities for participatory tourism development. The findings indicate that an indigenous participatory tourism development model should incorporate several key standards, including flexibility, compatibility with existing legal capacities, adherence to the principle of inclusiveness, and gradual implementation. These findings highlight the importance of developing a context-sensitive participatory framework consistent with Iran’s institutional, legal, and social conditions, thereby contributing to sustainable tourism development and enhancing meaningful stakeholder participation in tourism planning and decision-making processes.