Investigating the capabilities of desert areas in Iran in order to attract foreign tourists (Case Study: Mesr Desert and Maranjab Desert)

Majority of Iran (about 90%) is situated in semi-arid, desert and semi-desert regions. The vast extent of dry areas in Iran necessitates a thorough consideration of the potentials of these areas in the field of ecotourism industry. Desert areas in Iran are full of tourist attractions, so that in addition to the natural attractions of deserts and salt deserts, it is possible to say that most cities or even some rural areas located in these regions have unique cultural monuments and historical and natural attractions. Dasht-e Kavir (Great Salt Desert) and Dasht-e-Lut (Lut Desert), the two largest salt deserts in central Iran, are considered as one of the richest ecotourism potentials in the Middle East. The spatial scope of this research includes sandy and salt desert tourism destinations such as Maranjab Desert located in northern Aran va Bidgol, city and Mesr village in the central district of Khur and Biabanak County, Isfahan Province. In this research, we tried to examine the hypotheses of this study by identifying the specific and unique potentials of these areas, based on the field study and collecting library documents and information, using observations, interviews with authorities and professionals in the field of tourism and referring to the relevant web sites. The analysis of data of this research indicates that the unique conditions of the studied areas in terms of natural, historical and sport attractions and so on are among the most important potentials for attracting domestic and foreign tourists. According to the findings of this study, the difference between the culture of tourists and local subcultures and also the lack of necessary facilities and infrastructure are among the problems facing the officials and tourists in these areas. Based on the interviews conducted with tourism officials and local trustees, the development of any tourism activity requires the existence of infrastructures such as roads, transportation, residential centers, health centers, security centers as well as religious and cultural infrastructures, so that the tourism activity in these areas can become as dynamic as possible.