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Landscapes of the Yazd-Ardakan Plain (Iran) and the Assessment of Geotourism—Contribution to the Promotion and Practice of Geotourism and Ecotourism

Author

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  • Iulian Dincă

    (Department of Geography, Tourism and Territorial Planning, University of Oradea, 410087 Oradea, Romania)

  • Seyede Razieh Keshavarz

    (Geography Department, Islamic Azad University, Yazd Branch, Yazd 89168 71967, Iran)

  • Seyed Ali Almodaresi

    (GIS & RS Department, Islamic Azad University, Yazd Branch, Yazd 89168 71967, Iran)

Abstract

The attractions and capabilities of geomorphosites are among the unique assets of each country, and their identification, classification, and planning have great importance for the development of tourism. The purpose of this research was to identify, quantitatively analyse, and classify landforms treated as geosites and landscapes of Yazd Province, using the Pralong method. The present study is a descriptive analytical research based on library studies and field surveys. After determining the study area using satellite imagery, six geomorphosites were selected. Using the Pralong method, six geomorphosites were evaluated: Chak Chak, Mountain Eagle, Siahkooh, Shirkooh, Qanat, and Barfkhane Tezerjan. In this method, using the extraction of collected data from the questionnaires completed by 41 geotourism experts in the first stage, the four grades that were evaluated in terms of potential capability of geomorphosites include the appearance aesthetic, scientific, historical-cultural, and socio-economic variables, and in the next step, two variables of productivity value and quality of productivity were evaluated. The results of evaluations showed that the geomorphosites Chak Chak and Barfkhane Tezerjan had the highest score (0.62) and are the best geomorphosites for converting to geotourism and ecotourism applications, and they have high potential for attracting tourists. The second place was dedicated to the Shirkooh geomorphosite, which is considerable in terms of the average tourism grade. The best average productivity value belonged to the Chak Chak geomorphosite with 0.52, and the last one was Mountain Eagle with 0.32. All six attractions in this study had a medium grade in the qualitative scale index, meaning that they have good potential in geotouristic and ecotouristic points of view and could be improved by regional planning. Therefore, the results of this study can be used by local managers and planners to develop and promote geotourism and ecotourism.

Suggested Citation

  • Iulian Dincă & Seyede Razieh Keshavarz & Seyed Ali Almodaresi, 2023. "Landscapes of the Yazd-Ardakan Plain (Iran) and the Assessment of Geotourism—Contribution to the Promotion and Practice of Geotourism and Ecotourism," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-23, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:12:y:2023:i:4:p:858-:d:1120358
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Irina-Maria Neches & George Erdeli, 2015. "Geolandscapes and Geotourism: Integrating Nature and Culture in the Bucegi Mountains of Romania," Landscape Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(4), pages 486-509, May.
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    5. Lucia Contillo & Marina Zingaro & Domenico Capolongo & Giuseppe Corrado & Marcello Schiattarella, 2022. "Geomorphology and geotourism for a sustainable development of the Daunia Mts, Southern Italy," Journal of Maps, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(2), pages 418-427, December.
    6. Rasa Raeisi & Iulian Dincă & Seyed Ali Almodaresi & Magdalena Petronella (Nellie) Swart & Ali Boloor, 2022. "An Assessment of Geosites and Geomorphosites in the Lut Desert of Shahdad Region for Potential Geotourism Development," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-25, May.
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    1. Anna V. Mikhailenko & Svetlana O. Zorina & Natalia N. Yashalova & Dmitry A. Ruban, 2023. "Promoting Geosites on Web-Pages: An Assessment of the Quality and Quantity of Information in Real Cases," Resources, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-17, May.

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