Assessment and Zoning of Ecotourism Potential of Ahar County Based on Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Analysis

Ahar, one of northern counties of East Azerbaijan province-Iran, haven’t could attain to its right and suitable place in ecotourism development in spite of having appropriate natural landscapes. In this regard, knowledge of ecotourism potentials and identifying areas with high potential for ecotourism development is necessary in order to save time and money and enhancing the tourism economy of the study area. This research was tried to achieve this purposes using fuzzy multi-criteria analysis. In this regard, based on field evidence and bibliography, data and information of 8 environmental criteria, including slope, aspect, elevation, distance from streams, stream density, vegetation density, soil and lithology were collected. Preparation, management and analysis of data were performed by geographic information system (GIS), finalized by zoning ecotourism potential mapping of the study area. Results of this zoning showed that there is good potential for ecotourism in the area. Also, the map has a suitable agreement with the realities of the field. Localization of zones with high ecotourism potential in the south of the township and through river valleys, while emphasizing importance of these areas gave priority to villages of the study area in terms of ecotourism development, so that villages located in the SW of the area including Bozkosh and Goyjehbel had the highest priority for ecotourism development, respectively. The lowest ecotourism potential is mainly assigned to the eastern regions and mid-township areas located on the northern side of Ahar river. Although the role of vegetation density criterion in the zoning map and prioritized ecotourism map were more pronounced than other criteria, we shouldn’t ignore the prominent role of streams and riverbanks in creating favorable environments for ecotourism. Finally, the development of ecotourism in the region needs special and holistic attention to natural attractions of rivers and mountains.