Abstract Purpose: In recent years, tourism development approaches have focused on the need for the participation of local indigenous communities, the protection of the environment and the culture of the host community, and the sustainable development of the community as a win-win approach. This research aims to model community-based tourism in the rural areas of the mountain villages of Nowshahr city. Methods: This research has been done to collect exploratory information and the purpose of the fundamental type and with the process of grounded theory. The data collection tool was semi-structured in-depth interviews that were conducted with 20 activists and experts in the field of cultural heritage, tourism, and handicrafts in the region by using theoretical and targeted sampling. The collected data were done with open, axial, and selective coding and by Maxqda2020 software, and the final model of community-based tourism was extracted. This model presents the causal factors affecting action for community-based tourism, contextual and intervening conditions, strategies, and consequences. Results: The obtained results of this model led to the presentation of 32 concepts and 16 categories, the central phenomenon of which was a passion for action. Conclusion: The obtained judgment indicates that taking action in the direction of community-based tourism is a time-consuming phenomenon and requires the formation of specific conditions and the implementation of certain strategies, which leads to tangible positive and negative consequences for the local community.
