Determination of Priority Zones of the Desert Tourism Development by Using Geoinformational Systems: a Case Study of Iran, Isfahan Province

News of Russian Science Academy. Geographic serie. 2016. No. 5. P. 109–118.

Gabdrakhmanov N., Рубцов В. А., Булатова Г. Н., Khosseini S. S.

Tourism associated with visits to pristine natural areas for studying, visual enjoying by landscapes, animals, wild plants and the general natural heritage located in these areas, is gaining popularity. The natural tourism, including the desert kind of tourism, involves those activities that directly deal with natural resources and attractions. A large part of Iran’s territory is desert and the formation of the tourist complex is becoming an important direction of socioeconomic development. The objective of the article is to assess potential located in the province of Isfahan (Iran) deserts from the point of view of tourism development. The study used the descriptive-comparative method and method of point scoring. The article shows that deserts of Maranjab, Mesr and Dagh Sorkh received the highest rating of tourist attractiveness. October is the ideal month to visit the deserts of Maranjab and Mesr. Given the availability level of tourist infrastructure, the desert of Mesr ranked the first place in terms of tourist attractiveness. For further development of tourism in the analyzed territories, the investments to improve transport infrastructure and create service centers are necessary. The results of the study showed that the most favorable conditions for the development of desert tourism have territories of Abbas Abad, Matin Abad, Mesr, Farahzad, Hosain Abad, Abuzaid Abad and the cities of Khaled Abad and Badrud.

Keywords: GIS, cultural tourism