An Analysis of Tourism Infrastructures in the Ecotourism Destination of Band Village of Urmia Using SWOT Model

Ecotourism is a branch of tourism which could change natural potentials and cultural characteristics into actual resources. It is obvious that، without knowing potential and actual powers of each region، planning and prediction is deemed impossible. In the face of this fact، current research seeks to identify advantages، disadvantages، opportunities، threats and strategies of ecotourism development in BandVillage، Urmia. This research aims at introducing BandVillage as one of touristic regions of West Azerbaijan، investigating issues and problems in terms of tourism facilities and infrastructures and ecotourism potentials and suggesting strategies regarding tackling ecotourism obstacles. Dominant approach to this research is descriptive، causal and of applied nature. To collect data، questionnaires were used and the population consisted of tourists who traveled to Band in summer 1388. To analyze data، SPSS was employed and ArcGIS software was used to draw maps. The statistical technique used in the research was Pearson correlation. Also، to analyze ecotourism potentials، SWOT model was used in order to augment the advantages and opportunities and to decrease disadvantages and threats. The findings indicate that: - The more advertisement، the higher the umber of arriving tourists. The result from this relationship was 41% and showed acceptable and middle toward high relationship. - The more the facilities and services، the more the satisfaction of tourists. In Band، the relationship between satisfaction of tourists and facilities and services was 36% showing middle toward low relationship. - The evaluation of this region by SWOT model shows 35 disadvantages and threats and 25 advantages and opportunities which require serious attention of managers and macro and coherent planning in order to change disadvantages and threats into advantages and opportunities regarding ecotourism development in the study region.