جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه « sustainable tourism development » در نشریات گروه « جغرافیا »

Desert tourism is one of the most special and adventurous types of tourism that takes place in many countries. Unfortunately, due to weak infrastructure and effective strategies in this field, attention to the potential of this type of tourism has been neglected in Iran. The aim of the current research is to outline a new perspective in the development of sustainable tourism in Iran in the form of desert tourism, which is centered on the desert forests of Um El Debs in Khuzestan.

Design/methodology/approach:

 The current research is practical in terms of its purpose and the research method used in it is quantitative, which investigates the issue using a semi-parametric geographically weighted regression model.

According to the findings of the present research, there is not much difference between the fitting results of the traditional weighted geographic regression model and the semi-parametric model of geographically weighted regression, and these values prove that the significance test can prove that all cases are in the correlation area. Also, the values related to the estimation of the parameters in this area are high and this shows that promoting the economic development of tourism will bring positive results for the majority of the local residents of Bostan county.

The results indicate that the expansion of tourism in the desert forest region of Um El Debs has positive and effective effects and consequences, and desert tourism can have a positive potential to increase the economic prosperity of the region, and in case of careful planning and policy, it can also be fruitful in the development of sustainable tourism in the region.

Originality/value:

 Referring to the results and findings of the present research, for the first time the possibility of developing sustainable tourism in Iran, centered on desert forests, was confirmed and investigated.

In today's complex societies, urban tourism, in order to achieve a stable balance between the needs of local communities, preserving the environment and improving the quality of life, requires the formation of a strong urban management system with a systemic approach and emphasizing sustainable urban development. If the tourism program is properly reviewed, planned and managed and the natural and cultural environment is considered, it can smooth the conditions for the development of the local economy and the improvement of the quality of life of the citizens. Tourism planning is necessary for sustainability and should protect the resources that tourism depends on. The main goal of the current research is to plan the sustainable development of tourism in metropolises with an income generation approach using descriptive-analytical methods. To achieve this goal, by identifying the strengths and weaknesses as well as the opportunities and threats of different urban tourism areas, ranking and scoring were done based on the SWOT model. And finally, due to the importance of developing the basic strategies of urban tourism development in order to generate income for metropolises, it was identified and addressed. shows that tourism, as the most diverse and largest service activity, is the most important source of income and creating job opportunities for many countries in the world. Tourism is called as the engine of development, and due to its economic and social importance, it is receiving more attention day by day and governments give importance to it, and today it is one of the main and stable bases of the world economy. which can directly and indirectly affect other economic and cultural activities by creating the highest amount of added value.

Today,Tourism is one of the economic activities with high growth in the world. Unfortunately, tourism in our country, especially in the sector of band pei Babel , despite having many potentials, including natural ones has not been able to take a significant role in the economic development of the people. The purpose of this research is to investigate and analyze the role of natural capabilities in the development of sustainable tourism in Band pei Babol. The method research is from the aspect of practical purpose and in terms of descriptive-analytical and field nature, which has been collected with library and field methods and tools such as questionnaire.The information obtained through the software (SPSS) has been analyzed, finally, through one-sample t-test, Pearson's correlation test and Friedman's test. Three indices of geological and geomorphological attractions, plant and animal,climatic and water have been used in the research.The results show that according to the comparison of the average value of the assessed items in the field of natural capabilities and sustainable tourism development of Bandpei sector considering that the obtained sig is lower than the alpha level was 0.05 it can be concluded that there is a significant relationship between the natural capabilities and sustainable tourism development.Climatic and water attractiveness indices have an average rank of 3.85 plant and animal attractiveness with 3.46 and geological and geomorphological attractiveness with 2. 98 respectively have assigned the rank of one to three in the study area.Keywords: natural capability, sustainable tourism development, Babol county

The phenomenon of global warming and climate change may not only lead to climate change, but may also cause major changes in the tourism situation of the region and its sustainability, which will have far-reaching consequences and will destabilize the industry. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of vulnerability to climate change and resilience of tourism destinations on the sustainability of tourism development. The present study is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical method. The sample size corresponded to the statistical population was 185 people. The required data and information were collected in the form of library and field. Pls software was used to test the research hypotheses. The results showed that vulnerability to climate change has a negative effect on the sustainability of tourism development and resilience of tourism destinations has a negative effect on vulnerability to climate change. The results of this study also showed that the resilience of destinations has a positive effect on the sustainability of tourism development.

This study aims to investigate the role of Destination image and the perceived effects of local residents and tourists in the tourism development of the rural tourism region of Babolsar. The present study is an applied research in terms of purpose and it is a descriptive-correlation study. The population of the study consists of tourists who have visited the villages of Babolsar (Azizak, Karfun, Arabkhail) at least once. The statistical sample of tourists consists of 265 tourists selected using the convenience sampling method, and the statistical sample of the local population consists of 210 residents of the Babolsar region, where the villages have been selected using multi-stage cluster sampling. Data were collected by questionnaire with five Likert scales. The data were analyzed by SPSS and LISREL software. The results showed that the Destination image of local residents and tourists affects tourism development both directly and indirectly by the mediating role of perceived socio-cultural and environmental effects, but only the Destination image of tourists affects tourism development indirectly by the mediating role of perceived economic effect.

, the present study uses a futuristic approach to identify the most important factors affecting the development of tourism in the villages of Saqez city and the survey. The extent and how these factors affect each other. This research is applied in terms of its purpose and descriptive-analytical in nature and method. Due to the nature of this research, structural analysis, MIC MAC and Delphi have been used. In this regard, after holding initial discussions with thirty elite and tourism experts of Saqez as the statistical population of the study, 38 variables were identified in the form of four general dimensions as initial variables. In the following, the initial variables were defined in the framework of the cross effects matrix in the MICMAC foresight software. . Finally, ten major factors are influential as key factors in the future of sustainable tourism development in tourism destination villages – Saqez county. Among these factors, climate conditions and participation and correlation are the most influential factors in the development of tourism in villages of tourism destination in Saqez. The awareness of the local community and tourists, competitiveness and incentive policies are also important at a later stage.

The relationship between the city and the village in various ways affects the animation, the growth and development of various industries in the village, as well as its internal and external relations. To meet the basic needs of the city and the countryside and create a balanced and sustainable relationship between the city and its sphere of influence, you can measure population sustainability through sustainable rural development and tourism. Therefore, in this study, with the aim of investigating the relationship between city and village in order to balance a sustainable part of the population through sustainable tourism development and determining the sample size using the Cochran 34 Abadi formula from Shiraz and 363 households from selected villages using SPSS software Statistical analysis of data (cluster analysis and ANOVA test) in two groups of descriptive and analytical to evaluate the extraordinary goal. The results obtained that based on cluster analysis of rural-urban relationship based on improving population sustainability, in the economic dimension, 14.7% of villages are sustainable, in the socio-cultural dimension 14.7% of reports of sustainable villages and in the environmental dimension 9 / 52 There are reports from the village to the environment of a sustainable environment and according to the ANOVA test, rural-urban relations are stronger in sustainable villages, but the results of the ANOVA test in the study of the rural-urban relationship make tourism unsustainable.

Construction and development of the infrastructure needed pave the way for development. Dams can manage water sources and the environment, and are therefore one of the most important infrastructures needed for development. Dams provide a high capacity for tourism development. Karun-3 Dam, Izeh, is one of the biggest arch dams in the Middle East which can play in important role in rural tourism development due to its geographical location and ecotourism attractions. The purpose of the research was to study the role of this dam in tourism development in upstream villages. The research method was descriptive-analytical based on field study and using questionnaires as the research tool. The sample included 330 persons living in three upstream villages. The results showed that Karun-3 Dam has had a role in improving tourism economy indices in upstream villages (p < 0.05). The mean of indices was 3.56, which clearly confirms the positive role. The results indicate that dams develop service jobs and handicrafts, increase revenue and job opportunities, improve construction, increase the value of lands, and encourage investment. The results of Wilcoxon Test (p < 0.05) indicates the role of dams in improving tourism facilities in upstream villages. The mean of the test was 2.09 before the construction of the dam and 3.67 after it, which clearly shows the improvement of tourism facilities after the construction of the dam. Furthermore, the results of Wilcoxon Test indicate the role of dams in attracting local tourists from adjacent cities and provinces. From among the three villages investigated, Large Sheyvand Village had a significant difference from the perspective of tourism development, indicating the significant role of the distance between the villages and the dam.

Cultural tourism is one example of the alternative tourism. the approach of the "social life cycle" among the latest operational tools for assessing socio impacts of sustainable development and its effectiveness in the field of tourism is considered and cultural tourism destination has been exposed for the first time under the present article. The strategic goal of this research, which is based on the combination of documentary and survey methodology, is to analyze the stakeholders’ viewpoints regarding the sustainable socio-economic effects of the cultural tourism development in Masooleh town, as well as to recognize the extent of the difference in the importance order of the impact categories on the overall index of the social life cycle. The results indicate that, in general, the effect of tourism on the impact categories of the social life cycle is positive from the stakeholders’ perspective and, in the meantime, the importance of "governance" has influenced the most rather than the rest of impact categories in the overall index of the social life cycle, also, there are correlations between the impact categories of the social life cycle destinations and the correlation coefficient of the "working conditions" is higher than other dimensions in the Masooleh

The present study was conducted to examine the effects of local tourism stakeholders' empowerment on their contribution to sustainable tourism development through the mediating role of the perceived environmental effects of tourism programs and projects in Asara. This study examined the affecting and affected variables through descriptive-analytic method and a questionnaire. The results showed a positive and significant relationship between the local stakeholders' empowerment with the effects of economic tourism (0.63), socio-cultural effects of tourism (0.50), and ecological-environmental effects of tourism development (0.70). Additionally, the relationship between the perceived socio-cultural effects on participation in sustainable tourism development was confirmed with a path coefficient of 0.566 and t value of 3.207. However, the relationship between perceived environmental-ecological and economic effects of tourism projects with the participation of local stakeholders in tourism development was not confirmed. In other words, the implementation of tourism programs and projects in an environment, ecological and economic effects were unable to align local community participation. The results also showed that the empowerment of local stakeholders indirectly and with the mediating role of perceived socio-cultural effects from tourism programs and projects on their participation in tourism development only had a positive and significant impact on this aspect.

the purpose of this research is to study the rural tourism situation in the western Alvand rural district of Hamedan province and present its development strategies. Semi-structured interview with experts from Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization has been used for data collection. SWOT technique has been used to develop development strategies. To prioritize according to the importance of each participant's views, the coefficient of importance between zero and one is considered for them. This technique operates on the basis of qualitative analysis. In this research, the QSPM strategic planning matrix was used to plan and formulate more effective strategies following the steps taken. The results of the SWOT analysis indicate that the area in question is invasive (SO) and appropriate strategies should be in this area, and then, competitive strategies (ST), defensive (WT) strategies can be applied in the end, also conservative (WO) strategies. Also, QSPM matrix-based prioritization showed that the strategies that can be prioritized in order of importance are S01-ST1-WT1-WO1-ST2-S02-S03 strategies.

The goal of present study is to investigate the causal relationship between social capital and sustainable development of tourism. To achieve the goal of this research, survey method was used in this study. The study population consisted of citizens in Sari. The sample size software was used to determine pass through a sample size of 640 people is estimated. In this study, a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling was used, and questionnaire was used for data collection. Research findings have shown that variable social trust and network variables, respectively, the highest (0/383) and lowest (0/156) the effect on the dependent variable (sustainable development of tourism). The results also show the positive effects of social capital (networks of relationships, social participation, social trust) on the sustainable development of tourism, which means that the increase of social capital, the average increase sustainable tourism development.

One of the basics of sustainable development is a good performance and cooperation from the host community. Experience also shows that without cooperation and support of the local community sustainable tourism industry cannot be created (Choi and Jamal, 2009). One of the factors that plays an important role in achieving sustainable development is the social wealth among the public which is used today along with human, financial and economical wealth. This concept is concerned with bonds and relationships between members of a social network which achieves its aims though creation of norms and mutual confidence (Alvani and Seyed Naghavi, 1381).
In the current study it was attempted to investigate the relationship between social capital and sustainable development of tourism.

The methods research method is survey. The statistical population in this study is the citizens of 18 years and older of Sari city. In the present study, a pass software was used to determine the sample size. Confidence quotient in the study was set at 0.999 and error quotient is 0.001. Therefore, based on 0.999 confidence quotient and considering the least standard deviation and error of standard deviation, the size of the population was calculated to be 640. In this research, a multistage cluster sampling method proportional to volume has been used.

Discussion and Results: Descriptive finding of the study show that the mean of social capital among the whole population under study was 4.74 out of 10 and the mean of sustainable development of tourism was 4.58 out of 10. Referential findings also show that social capital along with the relationship network, social confidence, and social collaboration has significant effects on sustainable development of tourism. It was also found that social capital (the relations network, social cooperation and social confidence) has a positive impact on sustainable development of tourism meaning that with the increase in social capital the mean of sustainable development of tourism the local community improves positively.

In development, social wealth is composed of three characteristics: confidence, mutual relationships, and cooperation. If these elements are strong in societies, the settlers in these societies have more opportunities in building the economy and society. Development might impact the relationships between the settlers with each other and with the host society. A considerable part of the literature in social development of tourism indicates that in the first stage of planning for tourism development the role of the society and benefiters must be defined. The importance of social wealth is that mutual confidence increases cooperation by reducing the costs of dealing as people are not forced to pay for controlling others' behavior and instead create confidence for group operations.

Extended Abstract :Sustainable tourism development recently as a management strategy for destinations has got special significant. However, there is Discontinuities between concept of sustainable tourism development (STD) and original paradigm that STD derived from it, means sustainable development, in terms of theoretical and practical viewpoints. The main goal of paper discusses and analyze around the most important practical and theoretical challenges that sustainable tourism development has face with them. The research method is literature content review of this field. This paper, Also, review different frameworks of sustainable tourism development. Dynamics of tourism destination development during the three Separate ways that according one environmental pragmatism move to sustainable mass tourism and finally converge will be discussed. Finding of this paper is identifying the most important theoretical and practical challenges and critics of sustainable tourism development form demand and supply viewpoints. At the end, some of most important tools and practical techniques of sustainable tourism development for the situation like Iran will be recommended.
Sustainable tourism development has been described as a ‘positive approach intended to reduce tensions and friction created by the complex interactions between the tourism industry, visitors, the environment and the communities which are host to holidaymakers’, whilst, more ambiguously, the Brundland Report’s widely cited phrase is unashamedly paraphrased in defining sustainable tourism development as ‘development [which] meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunity for the future’. The concept of sustainable tourism development had, by the mid-1990s ‘achieved virtual global endorsement as the new [tourism] industry paradigm’. Since then, it has maintained this position. At the international, national, local and industry sectoral levels, a plethora of policy documents, planning guidelines, statements of ‘good practice’, case studies, codes of conduct for tourists and other publications have been and continue to be produced, all broadly concerned with the issue of sustainable tourism development. Moreover, the concept of sustainable tourism continues to enjoy recognition and support in global development policy circles (Sharpley & Tefler 2015). For example, the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), held in Johannesburg in 2002 (‘Rio ’, following on from the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992), called for the promotion of ‘sustainable tourism development . . . in order to increase the benefits from tourism resources for the population in host communities whilst maintaining [their] cultural and environmental integrity’ (WSSD, 2002, IV, Para 43). More recently, the Outcome Statement of the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (‘Rio ’) similarly states: 130. We emphasize that well-designed and managed tourism can make a significant contribution to the three dimensions of sustainable development, has close linkages to other sectors, and can create decent jobs and generate trade opportunities . . . We call for enhanced support for sustainable tourism activities and relevant capacity-building in developing countries in order to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development (UN, 2013a).
To a great extent, criticism focused specifically on the phenomenon of mass tourism. In other words, problems associated with the development of tourism were widely considered to reflect, in particular, the alleged ‘crisis’ of mass tourism (Poon, 1993). It is not surprising, therefore, that the concept of ‘alternative’ (to mass) tourism gained support as a potential means of minimising the negative consequences of tourism while optimizing the benefits both to the destination and to tourists (see Smith & Eadington, 1992). Proposing new, integrated and environmentally benign forms of tourism development, alternative tourism formed the foundation for the concept of sustainable tourism development which, throughout the last two decades, has remained the dominant approach to the promotion, management and practice of tourism.
However, given the fact that the concept of sustainable tourism development is, in essence, a sector-specific application of sustainable development, it is logical to assert that ‘those who insert the word “tourism” between “sustainable” and “development” . . . [should] . . . ensure that, under all circumstances, the resultant principles of sustainable tourism are also principles of sustainable development’ (Hunter, 1995: 163). Means, sustainable tourism should be considered a potential means of achieving sustainable development; that is, any form of tourism should itself be (a) environmentally sustainable and (b) be able to contribute indefinitely to broader sustainable development policies and objectives. Evidently, (a) is also a prerequisite to (b). In fact, there is Discontinuities between concept of sustainable tourism development (STD) and original paradigm that STD derived from it, means sustainable development, in terms of theoretical and practical viewpoints (Adopted from Sharpely & Tefler, 2015). The main goal of paper discusses and analyze around the most important practical and theoretical challenges that sustainable tourism development has face with them.
This paper, Also, review different frameworks of sustainable tourism development. Dynamics of tourism destination development during the three Separate ways that according one environmental pragmatism move to sustainable mass tourism and finally converge will be discussed. Sustainable mass tourism (SMT) approach as the desired and impending outcome for most destinations is occurring along three distinctive paths in an evolutionary manner that reflects environmental pragmatism. The market-driven ‘organic’ path describes the conventional tourism area life cycle model of Butler, whilst the regulation-driven ‘incremental’ path entails deliberate alternative tourism (DAT) in which carrying capacities are gradually increased to accommodate higher visitation levels. The hybrid ‘induced’ path describes planned mega-resorts conceived as growth poles. Each model is invested with its own specific planning and management implications (weaver, 2012). At the end, some of most important tools and practical techniques of sustainable tourism development for the situation like Iran will be recommended.
The research has been studied qualitatively via documentary research and content analysis strategy methods, where multiple meaning can be inferred from a text. Such an analysis can be regarded a research methodology which contributes to content interpretation of the data. Moreover, adopting a comparative approach, this paper compares and contrasts the perspectives concerning sustainable tourism development, and presents its finding in separate tables.
Discussion and It is significant approach that sustainable tourism development needs a global, holistic and more applicable perspective. That is, sustainable tourism development and its principals is a theatrical perspectives but one of unpredictable and Uncounted socio-economic events, processes and institutions that potentially contribute to broader sustainable development policies. Tacitly, therefore, the principles and perspectives of sustainable development should also be applicable to tourism on a holistic, global scale, Instead of being hidden, ‘alternative’ developments. But, as discussed, tourism as a specific economic sector, social phenomena and social institution, does not adapted easily onto the sustainable development approach. Currents and Challenges likes political-economy tourism industry, the lack of ownership and control on the rest of tourism sector, scale and tourism consumption all serve to challenge the fundamental principles of, and requirements for, the achievement of sustainable development and, as a consequence, ‘sustainable tourism’ has become defined by the local rather than global. The conclusion must be, therefore, that there is a need to divorce tourism, as a development agent, from what has proved to be the restrictive paradigm of sustainable development.

The sustainable tourism strategy is a comprehensive approach that demands tourism industry long time growth without destructive effects on ecosystems. Sustainable urban tourism follows two main principles: retrieval of cultural sources and economic growth. It is necessary to mention that planning isn’t ignorable for achieving it. Every year, Shiraz city -because of its cultural richness and natural- historical attraction – attracts lots of tourists. Using region potentials is one of the methods for absorbing tourists and economic growth. Handicraft because of its potentiality can fulfill the sustainable urban tourism goals. Selecting the optimum site for deployment of crafts in Shiraz city is the first and the most important aim of this research. Firstly for choosing suitable criteria's establishment, the experience of other countries as pioneer in establishing crafts’ site were used. Then, a meeting was made with the owners, craftsmen, crafts professionals, tourists and the local community. Based on participant's ideas, 8 criteria (access, sutible slope, ownership, land use, installation, parcel size and proximity to historical and natural axes) were determined for site selection. At last, 4 sites were selected among the proposed sites based on the mentioned criteria via Topsis method. Based on results, the four selected sites have the relative closeness to the ideal status for town construction and tourist attraction. The first Site (located in Golestan boulevard, the 3rd region of Shiraz municipality) with SLi= 0.944 compared with the others has better tourism situation. The main reasons of this site selection are Locating in historical- cultural axe, Shiraz's Erfan axe, and also closeness to the main entrance of shiraz- Quran.

The study aimed analysis of motivation of community resident’s participation for sustainable tourism development in Dez Protected Area in Khuzestan province. The total Statistical population of the study has been the local residents of the seventeen village of protected area Dez with a population of 6764 that 352 of simple selected according to the table of Morgan and Tackman by random sampling. Data was gathered via the use of a research- made questionnaire which its validity was confirmed by theexpert and reliability was determined by Corenbach alpha between 0.80 to 0.87. Results of study showed that the most important motivation of community residents’ participation in sustainable tourism development, were An allocation of concessions to participants in environmental protection by the government, increasing leisure opportunities in the village, more government attention to the region, a sense of pride and belonging to the region, interest in sustainable tourism activities and conservation of natural resources in the region. Also, three variables of satisfaction of tourism environmental, social and economic impacts, predict a variation 44% of motivation for participation in sustainable tourism development.

The concept and attitude toward the development has dramatically changed for the last couple of years. Sustainable development is a concept approved by many faculties and universities. Most of development programmers and policy makers, consider tourism as one of the most fundamental basis of sustainable development. Utilizing sustainable tourism and ecotourism industry need to provide beneficial conditions which are supposed to be obtained via comprehensive planning. Main objective of this research is to make appropriate strategies to develop sustainable ecotourism to the summit in Tehran, especially between Darakeh Village Resort to Tochal Peak, based on the theoretical framework of sustainable tourism development and ecotourism. First we try to recognize the potential of tourism development and sustainable ecotourism in Tehran, especially between Darakeh village Resort and Tochal Peak and then to make the research more practical Optimization strategies taking into account the influence of endogenous and exogenous factors will be presented. So the question arises that what the main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the region are and what the most appropriate strategy for tourism development, especially sustainable tourism is the region are.

Health tourism is the field of tourism that the possibility of providing medical services to provide tourist services to all people, Iran's capabilities eminent place in the world that can find health tourism. Therefore, it is considered as an aspect of export services. For the purpose of research, applied research and the method is analytical and descriptive nature and As a result of these researches tourism and health capabilities are provided below. Including: water treatment Salt medical Medicinal herbs Honey Health. Health tourism with an emphasis on sports tourism, etc. is provided.

To avoid the adverse consequences of tourism، some decisions must be made about its development. To achieve this purpose، one of the first steps is to identify the suitable regions for tourism development and land use planning which will eventually lead to optimum model of development of tourism destination. Due to having unique natural attractions such as mountains، dense forests، rivers، up-country - historical villages، waterfalls and natural springs as well as beautiful beaches of the Caspian Sea، Talesh County has a very good potential for ecotourism. However unfortunately، the lack of proper tourism management as well as the unsustainable tourism development have led to destruction of these unique resources with a growing trend. As the largest county of Gilan province، this county is located in the west of this province. According to the intended evaluation features of the research which aims at identifying the ecological capabilities and the regional zoning in terms of ecotourism development capabilities and nature-based tourism planning، the feasibility of the areas of ecotourism of the region was performed by the use of Geographical Information System (GIS) and the ecological model of ecotourism for Iran and with regard to the special conditions of the region. In this survey، the researcher used the Arc GIS 10 software in order to overlay the maps and create the layers. Moreover، she used the information which had been obtained through climatic data (temperature، precipitation، humidity، number of sunny days)، topography، vegetation، soil texture، geology and protected areas. The model used in this study was the ecological model of ecotourism of land use development which had been proposed for Iran and had been based on the systemic analysis and multiple criteria evaluation. This model classifies the region into two groups of intensive and extensive ecotourism and each of which are classified and analyzed in two classes. The first class represents the most suitable condition and the second one represents the suitable condition for the development of ecotourism. To achieve an optimal model for the evaluation of the ecological potential of ecotourism، in the first step of the research، in this model the effective spatial and descriptive data were collected and then through georeferencing these data and linking them with the descriptive tables، the data layers were created. To achieve this purpose، the researcher used the Arc GIS 10 software. After the data layers were preparing based on data classification in evaluation model، the classified information was obtained. Then، through overlaying the maps، the spatial information was integrated together and based on their ratings، the potential regions for ecotourism development were identified and the extent of which were determined. To overlay the maps The findings suggest that 406 square kilometers of Talesh lands have the potential for development of intensive ecotourism and 1541 square kilometers of Talesh lands have the potential for development of extensive ecotourism. In addition، Markazi district has the most potential for the development of intensive and extensive ecotourism. Given that the regions which are related to intensive and extensive ecotourism of the first type are mostly seen in plains and coastal areas of Talesh County، these regions have the necessary conditions for the development of water- base and coastal tourism activities as well as the rural tourism and agritourism. The regions which have the potential for intensive and extensive ecotourism of the second type are mostly located in the highlands of the county. These regions have the necessary conditions for the development of the mountain Sports and activities. Due to the existence of Marian and Agh Evlar up-country-Historical villages، the scientific and specialized tours are also recommended in this area. In general it can be concluded that most parts of the county have the necessary conditions for the development of ecotourism and it indicates that Talesh County has a high potential for ecotourism development. It is in such a way that about 19% of the total area of the county (406 square kilometers)، is suitable for the development of the intensive ecotourism and 71% of its total area (1541 square kilometers) is suitable for the development of the extensive ecotourism. Moreover، given that Markazi district is of the most regions for the development of two types of intensive and extensive ecotourism، planning for the development of infrastructures and providing programs for tourism development in this region is very essential.

Sustainable tourism development is a set of principles, policies and management methods which project the tourism development path in a way that environmental resources (including natural, man-made, and cultural features) of the destination are conserved for future developments. Concerning this concept and its implementation method, numerous and various perceptions have been created as a result of the different viewpoints and paradigms. Therefore, studying and comparing philosophical schools can be beneficial since it may help advance understanding and develop critical thinking about sustainable tourism development policies and planning.