The Role of General Aviation in Creating Sustainable Urban Tourism on Kish Island

A B S T R A C T
The aim of this study was to elucidate the multifaceted role of general aviation (GA) in the development of sustainable urban tourism on Kish Island and to develop a corresponding conceptual model. This research was conducted using a qualitative approach based on the grounded theory of Strauss and Corbin (1998). The validity of the findings was confirmed through the four evaluation criteria proposed by Guba and Lincoln, researcher self-review, and agreement between two coders. The study population consisted of university professors, senior managers in the tourism industry, managers of the aviation and GA organization, and hotel managers on Kish Island in 2025, from whom a purposive sample of 18 participants was selected through interviews until theoretical saturation was achieved. Based on the research findings and coding conducted in MAXQDA software, a total of 31 main concepts and 125 final codes were extracted. The findings indicate that the core phenomenon of GA functions not merely as a transportation tool but as a developmental driver that reinforces sustainable tourism through six key dimensions (enhancing specialized accessibility, infrastructural empowerment, environmental sustainability, socio-political integration, and economic revitalization). The final model demonstrates that the transition from the current situation to desirable outcomes (such as the international competitiveness of the destination and innovative governance) requires the adoption of seven strategies focused on “green operations” and “institutional reforms.” The results confirm that GA can reduce pressure on mass transportation infrastructure and generate high value-added tourism experiences, thereby establishing a balance between economic development and environmental requirements on Kish Island.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Since the 1990s, the relationship among aviation, tourism, and sustainability has been established as a strategic imperative in the scientific literature. Within this framework, numerous researchers have emphasized the symbiotic nature and mutual interdependence between air transport and tourism and argue that aviation and tourism have long been regarded as interdependent sectors of a single industry. The World Tourism Organization (WTO) and its member states increasingly acknowledge that developments in aviation will significantly influence the nature and growth of tourism and have highlighted the necessity of effective institutional cooperation to manage the shared benefits and concerns of these two sectors. However, alongside the expansion of aviation’s role in global tourism development, its environmental consequences, including noise pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, congestion, and the loss of rural areas, have led to calls for a fundamental reconsideration of aviation policies and practices. Thus, although aviation is an integral part of the global economy, it is also regarded as one of the principal obstacles to environmentally sustainable development. This industry is among the fastest-growing and most polluting industries in the world. Accordingly, emerging paradigms in urban development and tourism destinations, beyond mass transportation, have emphasized “flexibility” and the “reduction of environmental impacts.” Therefore, over the past two decades, the link between “air transport” and “destination competitiveness and sustainability” has evolved from a purely operational relationship into a policy-oriented and multidimensional issue, because on the one hand air accessibility is a prerequisite for the formation and continuity of tourism flows, and on the other hand climate pressures and carbon reduction requirements have imposed serious constraints on flight-dependent tourism growth models. A synthesis of previous studies indicates that although air connectivity and route structures affect tourism demand and, in island destinations, the quality and resilience of air infrastructure and supporting policies determine tourism sustainability, and the technological transition toward low-carbon aviation is not feasible without airport preparedness and managerial frameworks, nevertheless a major gap remains at the level of localized and policy-applicable implementation, and the existing literature has only limitedly formulated a coherent framework for the role of general aviation (GA) in sustainable island tourism, and in the case of Kish Island, no study has systematically identified and prioritized the key components of this role, which this study seeks to address by filling this evident research gap and remedying the absence of a comprehensive conceptual model capable of aligning the multifaceted functions of GA with the specific sustainability requirements of an island ecosystem such as Kish. Accordingly, the main research question of the present study is formulated as follows: What is the role of GA in fostering sustainable urban tourism on Kish Island, and which components/strategies will be prioritized in achieving this role?
 
Methodology
This study was conducted using a qualitative approach based on grounded theory in the systematic manner of Strauss and Corbin (1998), and its aim was to develop a conceptual model to explain the role of GA in strengthening sustainable urban tourism on Kish Island. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The target population consisted of experts involved in aviation policymaking and operations, tourism management, and urban planning related to Kish. Sampling initially began as criterion-based purposive sampling and then, concurrently with data analysis, continued as theoretical sampling to identify concepts and refine emerging categories and relationships. Interviews were conducted either in person or virtually from June to September 2025 and continued until theoretical saturation was achieved; saturation was reached after the eighteenth interview. Participants were purposively selected from managers and experts of the Civil Aviation Organization, experts of the Kish Free Zone Organization, representatives of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, and faculty members or specialists in tourism and urban planning.
Inclusion criteria comprised at least five years of relevant professional or research experience in tourism or GA, familiarity with the principles of sustainable development, and contextual knowledge of Kish (such as prior responsibility or participation in a Kish-related project or program, or substantive field or professional experience on the island). In addition, international consultants familiar with the Iranian context who had professional experience in GA and small or regional airports and documented collaboration with Iranian institutions or Iran-related projects were also included, identified through professional networks and referrals from domestic experts, and interviewed. Each interview lasted between 45 and 60 minutes, was audio-recorded with the informed consent of the participants, fully transcribed, and ultimately analyzed using MAXQDA12 software. To ensure research ethics, confidentiality, anonymization, and voluntary participation were observed, and all procedures were conducted in accordance with university and institutional research ethics guidelines. The data analysis process in this study was conducted based on the systematic model of Strauss and Corbin (1998) and was carried out in three main coding stages. In the open coding stage, initial concepts and categories (more than 50 conceptual codes such as “improved accessibility,” “environmental sustainability,” and “infrastructural challenges”) were derived from the raw data. Then, in axial coding, relationships among categories were analyzed and four key dimensions, namely economic, environmental, social, and infrastructural, were identified. Finally, during selective coding, these findings were integrated around the central phenomenon of the study, namely “the multifaceted role of GA in achieving sustainable urban tourism,” and the final conceptual model was developed. In this study, ethical considerations, including providing complete and transparent information to participants, maintaining confidentiality and protecting participants’ rights, and related obligations, were fully observed.
To validate the research findings, three criteria, “credibility (requesting recoding by two experienced university professors to verify coding accuracy),” “dependability (consultation with professors and experts in this field and obtaining feedback),” and “confirmability (calculation of the inter-coder agreement coefficient at 86%),” were also assessed, and the validity of the coding and the resulting findings was confirmed.
 
Results and discussion
At the initial stage of coding, efforts were made to identify categories through open coding and then, during axial coding, to establish relationships among the categories. At the end of this stage, a total of 31 main categories and 125 final concepts were identified and extracted from the coding process, after which their interrelationships were integrated to develop a theoretical model for the role of GA in fostering sustainable urban tourism on Kish Island. “Causal conditions” refer to factors that shape the context and foundation for the occurrence of the main phenomenon of the study, namely “the multifaceted role of GA in the development of sustainable urban tourism on Kish Island,” and temporally precede it. Findings from the in-depth interviews indicated that the phenomenon under study is influenced by a set of structural, policy-related, economic, environmental, and educational challenges that directly contribute to inefficiencies in utilizing the capacities of GA for sustainable tourism development. In the data analysis process, initial codes were derived from the interviewees’ statements and, after aggregation and refinement, common and key codes were identified as final codes. “Contextual conditions” in this study refer to a set of factors and characteristics that, in structural and environmental terms, influence the intensity and manner in which causal challenges affect the utilization of GA capacity for sustainable tourism development on Kish Island.
These conditions have a contingent and situational nature and often indirectly influence and shape the transformation of GA and its function in sustainable tourism. “Intervening conditions” in this study refer to a set of factors that, indirectly yet significantly, either accelerate or weaken the impact of GA on sustainable tourism development on Kish Island. Unlike causal conditions (which are foundational) and contextual conditions (which provide the environmental setting), these conditions play a regulatory and mediating role in the dynamics of actions and managerial strategies. The results of the expert interview analysis revealed six main categories and 24 final concepts. The “core phenomenon” in this study is “the multifaceted role of GA in the development of sustainable urban tourism on Kish Island,” which emerges at the intersection of causal, contextual, and intervening conditions.
This phenomenon, identified through one main category and six final concepts derived from expert interviews, demonstrates how GA can simultaneously contribute to targeted accessibility, economic empowerment, environmental sustainability, social integration, infrastructural development, and policy integration. “Strategies and actions” consist of seven main categories and 28 final concepts, each directly addressing appropriate strategies for Iran to achieve the positive impacts of GA and overcome the identified barriers. These strategies, focusing on infrastructure, economy, environment, society, law, technology, and governance, provide an operational framework for the sustainable development of GA on Kish Island. “Outcomes” include economic transformation, environmental sustainability, social empowerment, destination competitiveness, infrastructural enhancement, governance innovation, improved tourist experience, and technological advancement, which, if the extracted strategies are implemented, may indicate the effectiveness of the implemented strategies at both the internal and external levels of Iran’s GA industry.
 
Conclusion
The findings of the present study, conducted with the aim of identifying and explaining the role of GA in fostering sustainable urban tourism on Kish Island using a qualitative approach and grounded theory, showed that causal conditions (existing challenges), contextual conditions (environmental characteristics), and intervening conditions (moderating factors) play a role in shaping the core phenomenon, namely “the multifaceted role of GA in the development of sustainable urban tourism on Kish Island.” This core phenomenon, through the formulation and implementation of specific strategies across seven areas (infrastructure and operational development, economic and market strengthening, green operations, scientific and cultural development, legal and institutional reform, technological development and innovation, and expansion of international cooperation), leads to desirable outcomes in eight domains (economic transformation, environmental sustainability, social empowerment, destination competitiveness, infrastructural enhancement, governance innovation, technological advancement, and improved tourist experience). Based on the findings of the present study, GA in Iran, particularly on Kish Island, is not merely a transportation tool but can function as a driving force for sustainable development across the economic, social, environmental, institutional, and technological dimensions of Kish Island. However, realizing this potential requires overcoming the structural, infrastructural, policy-related, legal, and cultural challenges that were identified. The proposed strategies provide a practical roadmap for transforming these challenges into opportunities and emphasize the necessity of an integrated, participatory, and long-term approach to the sustainable development of GA on Kish Island. Nevertheless, despite the valuable findings of this study, certain limitations should also be taken into consideration. The qualitative nature of the study and its focus on expert interviews may limit the generalizability of the findings to other regions or communities with different characteristics. Moreover, despite efforts to ensure diversity in participant selection, the perspectives of certain groups, such as tourists or local residents, may have been less adequately reflected.
In addition, the country’s evolving political and economic conditions and international developments may affect the implementation of some of the proposed strategies, and finally, examining the environmental implications of certain measures, such as the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), requires more detailed technical and feasibility studies in the local context, which should be examined in future research.
 
Funding
There is no funding support.
 
Authors’ Contribution
Authors contributed equally to the conceptualization and writing of the article. All of the authors approved thecontent of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work declaration of competing interest none.
Conflict of Interest
Authors declared no conflict of interest.
 
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to all the scientific consultants of this paper.