An Evaluation of Geotourism in the North of Damghan City using the Brilha Method

Tourism is among the most significant means for doing social and economic changes in developing countries. The development of tourism is so important for those developing countries grappling with high unemployment rates, limited foreign exchange reserves, and a mono-product economy. The climate and geological diversity of Damghan along with being posited along Iran’s primary commercial route have created a significant opportunity for its development. This research was carried out using a descriptive-analytical method. The Brilha method was used to evaluate the geotourism potential of the region. The Brilha model evaluates the geotourism significance of a given region considering their scientific capacity, educational tourism potential, and destructibility risk. The results showed that in terms of scientific capacity, the layers with Trilobite and Cheshmeh Ali have the highest rank with scores of 170 and 250, respectively. In terms of educational tourism potentials, the Astaneh fault and Cheshmeh Ali rank at the top with 295 and 325 scores, respectively. Regarding their degradability risk, the layers with Trilobite and Somayeh Kouh are randed the highest with a score of 320. The results showed that despite the considerable capacity of the studied region as a tourism attraction site and in terms of geo-tourism, only the Cheshmeh Ali geosite is good to tourists. Other geosites have not been welcomed due to being relatively unknown, insufficient marketing, mismanagement, or lack of infrastructure. Therefore, the development of the region as an attraction site depends on careful planning and investment.