Analysis of Factors Affecting the Resilience of Tourism Businesses in Mountainous Territories with a Sustainable Development Approach (Case Study: Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province)

The resilience of tourism businesses in mountainous areas is increasingly recognized as a prerequisite for sustainable development, given their ecological vulnerability, dependence on natural resources, seasonal fluctuations in demand, and infrastructural constraints. This study aimed to identify and prioritize the factors influencing the resilience of tourism businesses and to examine the moderating role of destination economic and environmental characteristics in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, Iran. The research was applied in purpose and descriptive-correlational in design. Structural equation modeling using the partial least squares approach (PLS-SEM) was employed to examine the relationships among the variables. Data were collected from 250 tourism business managers and operators using a researcher-developed five-point Likert-scale questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS and SmartPLS. The questionnaire's validity was established through content, convergent, and discriminant validity, while its reliability was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability. The results indicated that social capital (β = 0.314), human capital and entrepreneurship (β = 0.264), governance and crisis management (β = 0.216), and innovation and technological capability (β = 0.201) had significant positive effects on resilience, collectively explaining 49.9% of its variance. Among these factors, social capital and human capital and entrepreneurship demonstrated the strongest effects on resilience. Furthermore, destination economic-environmental characteristics significantly moderated the relationship between governance/crisis management and resilience (β = 0.221), indicating that institutional coordination and proactive planning become increasingly important for strengthening resilience under more challenging economic and environmental conditions. Accordingly, strengthening social networks and professional associations, developing entrepreneurial capabilities, and formulating context-sensitive institutional policies can provide effective pathways for enhancing the resilience of tourism businesses in mountainous destinations.
 
Extended Abstract
 
Introduction
The resilience of tourism businesses in mountainous territories is essential for sustainable tourism development, as these businesses are exposed to ecological vulnerability, dependence on natural resources, seasonal fluctuations in tourism demand, infrastructural limitations, and economic and environmental disturbances. These conditions can threaten business continuity and increase the need for adaptation and effective crisis management. Although tourism resilience has received increasing scholarly attention, previous studies have largely focused on destinations, communities, and tourism systems, with comparatively less attention to resilience at the business level, particularly in mountainous areas. Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, a predominantly mountainous region of Iran with considerable tourism potential and environmental sensitivity, provides an appropriate context for addressing this research gap. Accordingly, this study aims to identify and prioritize the factors affecting the resilience of tourism businesses in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province. Specifically, it examines the effects of social capital, human and entrepreneurial capital, innovation and technological capability, and governance and crisis management on business resilience, while also assessing the moderating role of the destination’s economic-environmental characteristics. By integrating these factors into a single analytical framework, the study seeks to clarify their relative importance in strengthening the resilience of tourism businesses facing economic and environmental challenges.
 
Methodology
This applied quantitative study used a descriptive-correlational design to examine the factors affecting the resilience of tourism businesses in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province. Data were collected from 250 managers, owners, and operators of tourism businesses using a researcher-developed 36-item questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale. The questionnaire measured six constructs: social capital, human and entrepreneurial capital, innovation and technological capability, governance and crisis management, destination economic-environmental characteristics, and resilience. Data were analyzed using SPSS and SmartPLS. PLS-SEM was employed to evaluate the measurement and structural models, including reliability, convergent and discriminant validity, path coefficients, explained variance, and effect sizes. The moderating effect was examined using a two-stage approach, while IPMA was applied to prioritize the determinants of resilience. Bootstrapping with 5,000 subsamples was used to assess statistical significance. The measurement model demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity, with HTMT values confirming discriminant validity.
 
Results and Discussion
The results showed that all four explanatory factors had positive and statistically significant effects on the resilience of tourism businesses. Social capital had the strongest effect (β = 0.314), followed by human and entrepreneurial capital (β = 0.264), governance and crisis management (β = 0.216), and innovation and technological capability (β = 0.201), with all relationships significant at p < 0.001. These four factors jointly explained 49.9% of the variance in tourism-business resilience (R² = 0.499; adjusted R² = 0.491). Effect-size analysis indicated that social capital (f² = 0.158) and human and entrepreneurial capital (f² = 0.105) had moderate effects, while governance and crisis management (f² = 0.073) and innovation and technological capability (f² = 0.064) had smaller effects.The moderation analysis revealed that destination economic-environmental characteristics significantly moderated only the relationship between governance and crisis management and resilience (β = 0.221, t = 4.38, p < 0.001). The inclusion of interaction effects increased the explained variance from 49.9% to 55.3%, indicating that governance and crisis management become more important under challenging economic and environmental conditions. IPMA showed that social capital had the highest importance (0.319), followed by human and entrepreneurial capital (0.275), governance and crisis management (0.219), and innovation and technological capability (0.207). Performance values were relatively close, ranging from 48.24 to 48.87, highlighting substantial scope for improvement across all factors.
 
Conclusion
The findings demonstrate that the resilience of tourism businesses in mountainous territories is shaped by the combined influence of social, human, entrepreneurial, technological, and institutional factors. Among the examined factors, social capital and human and entrepreneurial capital were the most influential determinants of resilience. The findings also indicate that destination economic-environmental characteristics can strengthen the importance of governance and crisis management for tourism-business resilience under challenging conditions.
Accordingly, strengthening cooperation networks and professional associations among tourism businesses, developing entrepreneurial and managerial capabilities through training and empowerment programs, supporting the adoption of digital technologies and service diversification, and improving governance mechanisms and preventive crisis planning can contribute to strengthening the resilience of tourism businesses in mountainous destinations. Policy interventions should also consider the specific economic and environmental conditions of each destination, particularly in areas characterized by strong dependence on natural resources and seasonal fluctuations in tourism demand. Given the study’s limitation to a single province and its use of cross-sectional data, future research should examine broader geographical areas and employ longitudinal research designs to improve the generalizability of the findings.