Purpose: The tourism industry in rural areas of developing countries has played an important role in the economic and social sustainability of the rural regions through diversity of income sources, reduction of immigration, etc. Rural tourism is a source of increasing income and plays an important role in the social, economic, and environmental development of villages. This research investigates the impact of rural tourism development on the social issues of rural areas.
Methods: It is of an applied purpose, and its method is descriptive-analytical, which uses library and field methods to collect data. Its statistical population is five villages that are the target of tourism in several villages around the West Azerbaijan province. The total number of households living in these villages is 1292 according to the census of 2024. The sample required to complete the questionnaire was 292, according to Cochran's formula. The experts investigated the validity of the questionnaire. The reliability of the variables is 0.86%, according to Cronbach's alpha test. Statistical tests such as t, correlation, and structural equations have been used for quantitative data analysis. The sustainable development of tourism questionnaire has 20 questions, which was designed by Chris et al. in 2006. It has three indicators (cultural dimension, environmental dimension, and social dimension).
Results: The findings showed that the development of rural tourism positively affects social issues. The cultural dimension has a positive effect on social issues, the social dimension has a positive effect on social issues, and the environmental dimension has a positive effect on social issues.
Conclusion: The results reveal that the development of rural tourism in rural areas is an essential element in emancipating villages from poverty, migration, and social and economic problems and is an important step in the direction of sustainable rural development.