Evaluation of geotourism capabilities in Taleghan city

Dissertation

To obtain a master's degree in geomorphology in environmental planning

Abstract

Geotourism is one of the newest and most popular branches of tourism, and its fans are increasing every day, and it is considered a tool for sustainable development. Geotourism or geotourism is a branch of tourism whose purpose is to enjoy seeing beautiful and amazing geological and geomorphological phenomena, along with raising the level of knowledge and awareness of tourists about the value of these phenomena and the need to preserve them. It is obvious that the expansion of geotourism activities can lead to income generation and employment for the residents of the areas with these attractions. Taleghan city (which completely coincides with the borders of Taleghanroud watershed) with an area of ??1325 square kilometers is located in the north of Alborz province. It is a huge door with east-west extension, which is surrounded by two high mountain ranges and is divided into two north-south parts by the Taleghanroud river (the source of Shahroud). The highest point of this city is Sardasht Mountain (Gerdonkoh) with a height of 4402 meters and the lowest point with a height of about 1400 meters above the open water level. This city has coastal, lake, pasture, forest, mountain areas and unique ecological and geomorphological diversity. In this research, the geotourism potential of Taleghan city has been evaluated in the GIS environment using DEM layers (Digital Elevation Model), prepared from topographic maps with a scale of 1:50000, linear digital layers (waterways, roads) and point layers (caves, waterfalls, mineral springs and spas, glaciers, mines and other forms of geotourism) taken with GPS and with The valuation of these layers was first calculated using the Delphi method using the sum of the overlap function of the layers (sum), the geotourism map of the region was drawn and the area of ??one square (very suitable) for the development of geotourism is 81.9 square kilometers, one square (suitable) is 170, one is (moderate) 294.9, the other is (relatively inappropriate) 304.8, and the area is one square (unsuitable) is 2.478. The square kilometer is calculated in Gis environment. Then, using the process of analyzing the ANP networks, not the index and weighting method, another map was drawn and the areas were prioritized. This map also confirmed the results of the previous method, that the most suitable areas for the development of geotourism can be seen in the eastern, northern and western regions of the city.

Key words: geotourism, geosite, geopark, Taleghan city

Chapter 1

Overview of the research

1-1- Introduction

The industrial revolution that continued from 1750 to 1850 created the basis of mass tourism that we are familiar with today. The industrial revolution used steam power in trains and ships. In this period, there were profound economic and social changes, which led to the expansion of jobs and the middle class of society, which had more ability to enjoy and travel, and caused the travel of the elite class of the Grand Tour to take a new form and become recreational travel at the general level. New technologies, such as airlines, computers, and satellite communications, have changed the way people live, work, play, and have fun in the 20th century. The advancement of technology caused the amount of travel to increase due to various reasons (Parsaiyan and Arabi, 2008, 45). In the past, tourism was considered a cultural-social phenomenon, but in recent years, in addition to its traditional importance, it is also considered as an effective factor in economic, environmental and physical terms (Khodabakhsh, 2013, 23).

     Tourism is one of the most important activities of contemporary humans, which along with the emergence of tremendous changes in the face of the earth, the political, economic, cultural situation, character and way of life of people are changing. makes At the same time, it creates fundamental changes in the economic, cultural and customs conditions of the people (Mehlati, 2010, 4).

Among the countries that have turned to the economic sector and want to free themselves from the single-product economy and are looking to recognize advantages or create advantages, one of these components is tourism and the tourism industry, which most of the countries that benefit from these advantages in terms of location have included it in their national plan, so that they can evolve their national development process (Secretary Zadeh et al., 1388, 12).The development of the tourism industry, especially for countries with problems such as high unemployment, limited foreign exchange resources, etc. are facing, is very important. The development of tourist activities with the motivation of tourism often depends on various natural, cultural, historical and man-made attractions. Leading countries in the tourism sector, either in terms of natural landscapes, such as: lakes, sunny beaches and snow-covered mountains, or in terms of historical antiquity, or in terms of other elements and some artificial attractions, as well as creating an organizational structure and providing a broad investment platform, have been able to respond to a wide range of tourism needs, and benefit equally from its effects and achievements (Taqvai et al., 1388, 14). The increase in global awareness of natural resources has provoked a large wave of tourists to visit these areas, so it can be said that the term ecotourism has become popular due to the desire to travel to natural areas (Khodabakhsh, 2010, 8). Among the natural attractions in living and non-living areas, there are forests and slopes, caves and waterfalls, etc. Geotourism can be considered as a non-living part of ecotourism, which refers to human thinking about culture, education and travel and promotes tourism based on the environment. Geo-tourism, like eco-tourism, is an international concept as a project for the protection of natural resources and the ideals of sustainable development. As we know, human and nature are an inseparable combination of this universe. Since today's man has made many advances in various fields, he is oblivious to the nature around him, and he has a fearful future, certainly all the world organizations should work in this way, which actually includes the preservation of the living environment. (Tourist) Visit natural forests, marine parks and wildlife, rivers and the nature around them, especially mountains and waterfalls, hot springs, lagoons, rocks and stones, lagoons and special areas for hunting and fishing, and seas and lakes, beaches. The banks around them, the natural habitats of migratory and native birds and other creatures, as well as the natural caves and especially the nature inside them, the scope of this sector depends on tourism (Razvani, 2016, 232). Today we hear with more certainty that the gross national product is not a measure of health, vitality, pride, compassion, beauty and pleasantness, and if these cannot be called absolute rights, at least they should be considered valuable ideals (McHarg, 1389, 125). Tourism can be seen as a way to achieve these values, provided that it is sustainable and does not lead to bioterrorism. (Rizvani, 2016, 26). The industrial revolution created the basis of mass tourism that we are familiar with today. In this period, profound economic and social changes occurred, which led to the expansion of jobs and the middle class of society, which had more power for recreation and travel (Parsaiyan and Arabi, 2008, 49). In the last few decades, with the expansion of urban centers and the growth of the phenomenon of urbanization and communication, tourism has made significant progress, to the point where today tourism forms one of the foundations of the world economy (Parsaiyan and Arabi, 2008, 76). More than any other industry, tourism has caused the movement of capital and the transfer of money and currency on a local, regional, national and international scale, so that the costs of tourism are far more than the gross national product and global exports (Tolaei, 2016, 15). In the meantime, geotourism is one of the new and popular branches of tourism, and its fans are increasing every day, and it is considered a tool for sustainable development. Geotourism is conscious and responsible tourism in nature, with the aim of observing and understanding geological phenomena and processes and learning how they form and evolve, and provides the basis for economic and social participation of the local population. With increasing people's awareness of the benefits and positive effects of experiencing nature directly, the importance of geotourism increases. Geotourism gives economic value to the diversity of geological and geomorphological structures. If the income from geotourism is used correctly, it will provide the necessary basis for preserving the environment and expanding the protected areas (Nakui Sadri 1388, 17).