Introduction
Today, in the capitalist world, entrepreneurial activity is recognized as a growing industry that is consistently meet demand in the capital market. In various field of study, this activity is viewed as a viable platform for businesses development and for generating sustainable employment and income for local communities. Givining the challenges currently facing Iran's economy, entrepreneurial activities can be identified as a fundumental strategy for fostering economic growth and reducing unemployment. However, Iran's entrepreneurial ecosystem is still in its very early stages, particularly in the tourist sector. Despite recent advancements, Iran's tourism entrepreneurship ecosystem still faces some fundamental problems that make it difficult to attract new investors (Hosseininia and Aliabadi, 2018: 59). Many of the laws and regulations that were intended to encourage entrepreneurship have not yet been suggested, or they are currently being reviewed (Azizi et al., 2017: 105). Furthermore, despite the potential for these ecosystems to lower unemployment and poverty, they have not been investigated as a successful strategy in Iran's tourism industry (Rakanuddin Iftikhari et al., 1389: 1). Because of this dearth of research, choosing the best entrepreneurship strategy is difficult.
Because of this dearth of research, it is difficult for scholars, decision-makers, and other stakeholders to choose the best approach for entrepreneurship growth. It can be deceptive to employ pre-existing models that are incompatible with local circumstances (Haj Aghaei and Khalkhali, 2018: 168).
This research is inspired by theoretical models of the entrepreneurial ecosystem to formulate an optimal structure for the entrepreneurial ecosystem and assess its impact on the development of rural tourism businesses. This is achieved through the consensus of experts in the field at various sector levels, focusing on how to eliminate obstacles and effectively utilize available resources. The current study aims to summarize and design a desirable local model within a systemic framework for tourism entrepreneurial businesses by integrating various approaches, models, and theories related to in this topic. In the initial phase, indicators for tourism business development in the study area were identified across three dimensions: enthusiasm, capability and inclination to develop tourism businesses. These indicators were adapted from global entrepreneurship metrics and localized for relevance. Subsequently, with input from experts responsible for the entrepreneurial ecosystem indicators, six key dimensions were established, including: physical infrastructure, policies and guidelines, management-technology and organization, supportive culture, human capital, and financial supports. Finally, the relationships of influence or effectiveness among each component of the system were determined and the structural relationships between them were examined.
Methodology
The current research is applied, developmental, and descriptive-analytical in nature. To gather information in accordance with the research requirements, both library and field methods were employed. The primary objective of this study is to develop a structural model that identifies the challenges impacting the ecosystem of tourism businesses in the villages of the Sardoiye district, located in Jiroft city. For this purpose, a structural equation model (SMART-PLS) was utilized. The independent variables represent indicators of the entrepreneurial ecosystem across six dimensions: natural environmental factors; government policies and legal procedures; economic issues; social and cultural norms governing society; management, technology, business organization issues; and human capital. The dependent variables are global indicators of the development of tourism businesses, specifically in terms of entrepreneurial ability, inclination and enthusiasm. The statistical population for this research is entrepreneurs of Sardoiye district, specifically from the three villages of Sardoiye, Gore, and Delfard. Participant were selected based on the criterion that they have recently initiated a business in tourism sector.
Results
According to the test's results, financial and economic concerns had the largest influence coefficient (0.482) among the independent variables. This can be attributed to a number of variables, including financial and marketing issues, entrepreneurs' limited funds, and a lack of support. Additionally, the drivers of networking comprehension and cultural support from the entrepreneurial tendency index subgroup had the highest influence coefficient among dependent factors. Additionally, Figure 2's analysis of the relationship between independent and dependent variables reveals that the former has an impact on the latter, with a coefficient of (0.486). The outcomes of this section of the study can be contrasted with those of Zhou et al. (2017) and Mahmoud et al. (2020). According to their findings, understanding the factors that influence the tourism entrepreneurship ecosystem—particularly its economic aspects—has a major impact on the growth of tourism-related enterprises.
Discussion and Conclusion
The pattern gleaned from this section demonstrated that, in addition to paying attention to economic issues, we must constantly search for opportunities because the current market for tourism businesses is one that is changing quickly and makes it uncertain that the businesses will be able to achieve their desired goals by continuing with their current operations and activities. are new to the market, so to observe improved performance in this area, in addition to economic drivers in the topic of rural tourism entrepreneurship ecosystem, focus on the elements of entrepreneurial orientation, such as cultural supports, networking comprehension, building a database among entrepreneurs, and understanding skills and opportunities as well as focused risk taking.
Funding
This article is taken from the same-titled PhD dissertation, which was completed with the financial and spiritual support of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad.
Authors’ Contribution
Authors contributed equally to the conceptualization and writing of the article. All of the authors approved the content of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work.
Conflict of Interest
Authors declared no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgments
We would like to express our gratitude to the Honorable Vice Chancellor for Research at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad for his financial and moral support in the implementation of this research. The respected referees are thanked for providing structural and scientific comments.