The Role of Environmental Concern, Future-Oriented Planning, and Destination Image in Students' Tendency towards Ecotourism: A Case Study of Vali-e-Asr University of Rafsanjan

Introduction
Tourism is one of the basic human needs and it makes people renew their strength to do their daily work, and this issue has led to the development of tourism (Putri, 2018). According to the results of the research published by the World Tourism Organization (2019), nowadays traveling to tourist destinations is not a strange thing, but has become a part of people's daily life. Several studies show that tourists view the environment as a key factor in the quality of their travel experience (Goodwin& Francis, 2003). Ecotourism is considered as the most comprehensive alternative approach that can bring economic development and environmental protection and welfare to the society at the same time as a panacea (Khan et al., 2022) and by emphasizing the authenticity and preservation of traditional ways, promote cultural exchange (Quynh et al., 2021) and have an impact on the image of the destination, so that by highlighting natural beauty, biodiversity and conservation efforts, it shows the destinations as environmentally responsible and attractive (Nowacki et al., 2021). The positive image of the destination leads tourists who are concerned and aware of the environment to choose destinations that prioritize environmental protection and sustainable development (Nowacki et al., 2021). And awareness of this matter is important for managers, marketers and tourism activists of destinations, in order to show a favorable and green image (Ting (Tina) Li et al, 2021). One of the sections of the society that play an important role in informing the society is the academic class, especially the students. Society accepts academics as reference groups. In this regard, the research aims to investigate the opinion of students of Valiasr University of Rafsanjan towards ecotourism. The main question of the current research is what is the relationship between the attitude of the students of this university in the field of environmental concerns, planning for the future and the image of the destination and Ecotourism intention?
 
Methodology
This article is of descriptive-analytical type and is considered as applied research. According to Saunders research onion, this research is one of positivist and positivist research in terms of research philosophy. The research strategy is survey research because the research tool is a questionnaire. The statistical population of the research includes students of different academic levels (bachelor's, master's and doctorate) of Valiasr University in Rafsanjan. Random sampling was simple and 400 questionnaires were completed electronically. The four constructs of this research include environmental concerns (3 questions), planning for the future (4 questions), destination image (4 questions), Ecotourism intention (4 questions). The data analysis tool is Smart-PLS structural equation software. This software is a powerful tool for data analysis and modeling and is especially used in social sciences such as management and tourism. This software tests hypotheses and evaluates relationships between variables well.
 
Findings
According to the obtained results, the impact of planning for the future on the desire for ecotourism trips and environmental concern has been rejected. However, two hypotheses of the effect of the image of tourist destinations on the desire for ecotourism trips and the image of ecotourism destinations on environmental concern have been confirmed. But the environmental concern on the desire for ecotourism trips was not confirmed. According to the results of the research, the hypotheses regarding the influence of future planning on the propensity for ecotourism and environmental concern were rejected. However, the influence of destination image on ecotourism propensity and the influence of ecotourism destination image on environmental concern were both confirmed. Notably, the hypothesis that environmental concern affects ecotourism propensity was not supported.
 
Discussion and Conclusion
This research examines the views of the students of Valiasr University in Rafsanjan in the field of ecotourism issues. According to the research literature, ecotourists or those interested in ecotourism activities have different characteristics compared to mass tourists. According to the results of this research, concern for environmental issues does not have much effect on the desire for ecotourism trips, and these results are inconsistent with the research and views of Allcock & Evans-Smith (1994), who believes that ecotourists seek environmental sustainability, as Demeritt (2002) believes. The meanings of nature should be interpreted in a cultural way, and in this regard, this difference should be analyzed in a cultural context. But it is in line with the research of Swarbrooke & Horner (2007), who believe that irresponsible green tourists are recognized as an important part of ecotourists. Incidentally, Dolnicar et al. (2008) consider these tourists to be highly educated. The effect of planning for the future on the desire for ecotourism trips and environmental concern was not confirmed. In fact, previous studies such as Strathman et al. (1994) showed that forward-looking people with a long-term perspective are more interested in nature protection, which was not confirmed in the present study, and as mentioned in the previous material, this issue is due to It is one of the cultural differences and macro conditions governing the academic society.
But the two important hypotheses of this research that were confirmed are the impact of the image of tourist destinations on the desire for ecotourism trips and environmental concerns, and this issue can be well explained and interpreted because the purely aesthetic view of nature is in all people, whether they are mass tourists or not. Ecotourists can be seen, which is in line with the results of Zhang & Xu (2020) and Shahhosseini (2012), who believe that one of the important components of ecotourists is aesthetic experience and visiting nature. In fact, students engage in ecotourism activities only because of the benefits of nature, and their environmental concern is stimulated when the aesthetic aspect of nature is attacked. In line with the results of the research, the following suggestions are presented:

Academics have important effects on the process of social and cultural development, so it is suggested to hold educational courses in universities in order to understand the concepts of ecotourism and the value of nature.
The capacity of scientific associations and centers in universities should be used to the maximum, because the presenters of these programs are students and the effectiveness of these programs is high.
Organizing nature trips for students with experienced professors to explain the intrinsic value of nature to students.