Sustainable development of tourism
Fariba Karami; Davoud Mokhtari; Kimia Dadgar; Ahmad Asadi
Abstract
The present research has been written to assess the capabilities and zoning of the geo-tourism capabilities of Tarom. The research method in the current research is mixed (quantitative-qualitative) with a practical purpose and analytical-exploratory nature; in order to analyze the information, Comanescu’s ...
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The present research has been written to assess the capabilities and zoning of the geo-tourism capabilities of Tarom. The research method in the current research is mixed (quantitative-qualitative) with a practical purpose and analytical-exploratory nature; in order to analyze the information, Comanescu’s capability measurement method, Fuzzy Network Analysis Model (ANP-FUZZY), and also GIS software. The research results showed that the geo-sites of Tarom County have high geo-tourism values. Meanwhile, the geo-site of the Valider Sheit River has the highest value, the geo-site of the Ghezel Ozan River ranks second, and the Nokian River ranks third. Also, the investigation of the geo-tourism criteria of Tarom shows that 46.49% of the studied area is suitable for the development of geo-tourism. On the other hand, the geo-sites with high value in the Comanescu Model are consistent with the potential geo-tourism zones resulting from zoning in the county and have an acceptable level.IntroductionGeo-tourism is a sustainable method of tourism that promotes environmental and cultural understanding and conservation of landscapes through the experience of various geological and geomorphological features of this geosphere, and its development can strengthen economic viability, community improvement, and geographic protection of landscape features. In general, geo-tourism can be created in a natural landscape where people are free to enjoy the spectacular views of the geosphere. Also, the attraction point of each landscape for the initial scope of geo-tourism depends on four types of tourism values: scientific, aesthetic, cultural, and economic. In the meantime, geo-morpho-sites are intrinsic and essential geological and geomorphological features of the earth's surface, which have significant scientific, aesthetic, and economic importance and have been discovered by human society. Also, different landscapes of the geosphere have witnessed the development of geo-tourism based on geo-morpho-sites. In a holistic approach toward the development of sustainable tourism, geo-morpho-sites are an essential basis for the development of geo-tourism.On the other hand, geo-tourism plays a significant role in the protection of geo-morpho-sites. In the meantime, from the geo-cultural point of view, geo-tourism is considered a new way to develop less developed societies due to its economic efficiency. Therefore, in the approach of sustainable development of tourism, geo-tourism plays an essential role, and the development of geo-tourism on geo-morpho-sites can be done in the best way after evaluating geo-morpho-sites in a tourist environment. Considering the importance of geo-tourism as one of the essential species in achieving sustainable tourism, the purpose of this research is to evaluate and zoning the geo-tourism capabilities of Tarom County.Research Question(s)At what level are the geo-morpho-sites of Tarom County in terms of management and use, economic, cultural, aesthetic, and scientific values?In terms of the desirability of geo-tourist capacity criteria, what is the state of Tarom County? Literature ReviewThe concept and approach of geo-tourism developed in the late 1980s after the recognition of geologists' schools, universities, and museums in the UK (Hose, 1995; Hose et al., 2011). The term "geo-tourism" was first coined in 1995 by Thomas A. Hughes, a professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol in England (Antic & Tomic, 2017; Grover & Mahanta, 2018). According to Thomas A. Hose (2005), geo-tourism is: "Ensuring the value and social preservation of geological and geomorphological sites and their resources and providing interpretive facilities and services for the use of students, tourists, and other casual recreationists." This definition clearly shows that the main focus of geo-tourism is interpretation, promotion, and conservation, which are all essential elements for the development of geo-tourism. Newsome and Dowling (2010) have stated that geo-tourism is an arrangement of tourism in natural areas that focuses specifically on landscape and geology and their interpretation, promotion, and protection with the help of education (Jonic, 2018).MethodologyThe research method in the current research is mixed (quantitative-qualitative), with a practical purpose and analytical-exploratory nature. In this regard, first, the geo-sites of Tarom County were identified using interviews and field observations. In the second stage, the values of geo-sites were evaluated using the Comanescu capability measurement method. Finally, the geo-tourism capabilities of this county were evaluated using the Fuzzy Network Analysis Model (FUZZY-ANP) and questioning managers and officials, as well as benefiting from They were zoned based on criteria such as height, slope, land use, distance from communication road, distance from county or village, distance from geo-site, distance from river, distance from cultural sites. The statistical population of the research included the managers and officials of Tarom County, and 15 people were determined as the sample size by using a non-random sampling method.ResultsThe research results showed that the geo-sites of Tarom County have high geo-tourism values. Meanwhile, the geo-site of the Valider-Shit River has the highest value, the geo-site of the Ghezel Ozan River ranks second, and the Nowkian River ranks third. Also, the investigation of the geo-tourism criteria of Tarom shows that 46.49% of the studied area is suitable for the development of geo-tourism. On the other hand, the geo-sites with high value in the Comanescu model are consistent with the potential geo-tourism zones resulting from zoning in Tarom County and have an acceptable level. In general, the results of this research can be used as a document in planning and environmental management for the sustainable development of tourism in the studied area by officials and planners.
Rahele Ghozbanii; Aliakbar Aminbeidokhti; Sakineh Jafari; Hassan Haqiqat
Abstract
The competitiveness of geotourism destinations depends on a number of factors, including resources, demand conditions, management, and destination marketing. A comprehensive model for geotourism destination competition in the world has not yet been developed and the native model of competitiveness of ...
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The competitiveness of geotourism destinations depends on a number of factors, including resources, demand conditions, management, and destination marketing. A comprehensive model for geotourism destination competition in the world has not yet been developed and the native model of competitiveness of tourism destination in Iran has not been considered by researchers so far. The purpose of this study is to determine the competitiveness factors of geotourism destinations in Iran. The research method is qualitative and sequential exploratory. Using multiple resource alignment methods consisting of three sides: a) collecting theoretical foundations, infrastructural principles related to the research variable, b) research conducted in the field of competitiveness, and c) surveying the opinions of key experts, geotourism destination competitiveness factors were developed. The main indicators are formulated in three dimensions of competitive assets, competitiveness process, and competitive environment. The competitive assets dimension include the components of attractions, location, available facilities, supportive factors; the process of competitiveness dimension includes components of policymaking and planning, education and research, destination development and infrastructure improvement, destination marketing and management, protection and control, destination operations and branding, and the competitive environment dimension includes the components of external environmental conditions and factors affecting consumer demand. The results indicate that the competitiveness indicators of geotourism destination in Iran can cause a change in attracting tourists and maintaining and sustaining the sustainable development of Iran's tourism at the national and international levels in the current highly competitive conditions.
Mehran Maghsoudi; hamid ganjaeian; Elmira Safdari; Milad Abdolmalki
Abstract
In the present study geotourism potentials of Zanjan province have been evaluated with emphasis on sustainable tourism development. The general trend of the present study is first to identify the pre-geosites of the study area, then to evaluate the geosites of the study area using Zouros and Kubalikova ...
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In the present study geotourism potentials of Zanjan province have been evaluated with emphasis on sustainable tourism development. The general trend of the present study is first to identify the pre-geosites of the study area, then to evaluate the geosites of the study area using Zouros and Kubalikova methods. After evaluating the pre-geosites, the impact of these pre-geosites on the development of sustainable tourism in the region has been investigated. For this purpose, 200 questionnaires have been used. The results of the evaluations indicate that Katale Khor Cave and Aladaghlar colored mountains have the highest value in both methods. After evaluating the pre-geosites, the impact of them on the economic, social and environmental status of the region is discussed. Among the effects mentioned earlier, improving the quality and quantity of handicrafts, increasing social interaction and improving the status of passages were the highest
Ali Akbar Shayan Yeganeh; Mohamad Ali Zangane Asadi; Abolghasem Amir Ahmadi
Abstract
As a new discipline, geotourism is a part of the nature-based tourism that relies on natural resources and geology. Geosites and geomorphosites are considered as infrastructure of geodiversity by the geomorphological and geological tourists. Geotourism has formed recently and elapsed its ...
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As a new discipline, geotourism is a part of the nature-based tourism that relies on natural resources and geology. Geosites and geomorphosites are considered as infrastructure of geodiversity by the geomorphological and geological tourists. Geotourism has formed recently and elapsed its early stages ofdevelopment. Iran is a country with a wide range of phenomena. Hence, to find the potentials for regional geotourism or capability of the geoparks, many researchers have been sought to assess the areas (of) geosites and geomorphosites in Iran, and in the world as well. The purpose of this study is to review some assessment methods of geosites and geomorphosites by 2015 and to extract their strengths and weaknesses in order to express a comprehensive method for assessing geomorphotourism areas. Analytical documents andadaptive methods are used in this research. Results of the study show that the Comanescu method is the perfect way to assess geomorphosites now. Moreover, the evaluation has been weak geomorphosites service role. Pralong, Lucie Kubalíková, Brilha and Charalampos Fassoulas methods are important in the next stage. However, in parts of the evaluation, they do not show all the potentials of a geomorphosite. Most of the methods in Iran are not in a comprehensive way to assess geomorphosites. Consequently, the present articlehas tried to propose a new method in order to maintain the strengths of the methods and reduce their weaknesses.
