Evaluating geotourism potential and providing optimal models for Geotourism development (Case study: Kermanshah province)

1-Introduction

Geotourism is one of the pillars of tourism development, which has caused the economic and social development of many regions in the world in recent years. Different regions have different geotourism capabilities under natural factors such as geological conditions and hydrogeomorphology. The western regions of the country, including Kermanshah province, are susceptible to geotourism development goals due to having various types of geosites in mountainous areas, erosion geosites, karstic geosites, etc. Also, in terms of population, this province has a high density, which provides the basis for easier development of infrastructure and attraction of tourism. The high potential of geotourism in Kermanshah province as well as the important effects of geotourism in the economic, environmental, social and cultural development of the regions have made it very important to pay attention to the geotourism industry in this region. Considering that any planning in this field requires a comprehensive study and monitoring of the geotourism capabilities of the region, therefore, research in this field is necessary and very important. In fact, considering that many of the geotourism potentials of Kermanshah province are still unknown or less known, it is necessary to first examine the geodiversity potential and then the geotourism potential of the region. Also, due to the fact that Kermanshah province has a lot of differences in landform and climate, it is necessary to classify the geosites of this province and then prepare suitable routes and patterns for tourism in the region.



2-Materials and methods

This research is based on descriptive-analytical and statistical methods. In this research, the SRTM 30-meter height digital model, digital information layers, as well as the information obtained from the questionnaire and interview were used as the most important research data. The most important research tools are ArcGIS and Google Earth. According to the subject and objectives, this research has been done in 2 general stages. In the first stage, by using library studies as well as field visits, potential geosites of Kermanshah province have been identified. It should be noted that at this stage all the cities of Kermanshah province have been monitored and finally 120 geosites of Kermanshah province have been identified. After identifying the geosites, they were evaluated using Kubalíkova and Comanescu methods.



3-Discussion and results

The high geodiversity of Kermanshah province has caused this province to have 120 geosites suitable for tourism. The results obtained by Kubalíkova's method show that among the geosites of Kermanshah province, the geosites of spring of Bel, The mirage of Ravansar, Qori Qala Cave, The mirage of Taq Bostan and Daryan Dam are respectively 11.75, 11.25, and 11. 75/10 and 75/10 have the highest value. Also, the results obtained from the Comanescu method have shown that among the geosites of Kermanshah province, the geosites of spring of Bel, The mirage of Taq Bostan, Qori Qala Cave, Chaharzebar gorge and Biston Wall are respectively 85, 83, 82, 82 and 82 points have the highest value. Also, based on the results, in general, the geosites of Kermanshah, Ravansar and Paveh cities have a higher score and ultimately more potential for the development of geotourism due to their special natural features. The total results have shown that the high geodiversity potential of Kermanshah province has caused this province to have numerous geosites, each of which has great potential for the development of geotourism.



4-Conclusion

The high power of geodiversity of Kermanshah province has caused this province to have diverse geosites. The results obtained from the identification of potential geosites in Kermanshah province have shown that this province has 120 potential geosites, and each of these geosites has great potential for the development of geotourism. In this research, after identifying 120 potential geosites in Kermanshah province, they were evaluated using Kubalíkova and Comanescu methods. The total results obtained from the Kubalíkova and Comanescu methods have shown that the Spring of Bell geosite has been selected as the most valuable geosite in Kermanshah province with 87.7% of the total points, and after this geosite, the Qori Qala geosite with 3.83 points, The mirage of Taq Bostan with 82.8 points, Biston wall and Chaharzabar gorge with 4.81 points, Darian Dam and the mirage of Ravansar with 3.81 points have the highest points. Considering the high potential of the geosites of Kermanshah province, in this research, 16 routes or patterns have been designed to visit the geosites of this province, and based on the results, route number 1 has the highest score with an average of 70.7 points. And after that, routes No. 15 and 16 are considered to have the highest points and the most valuable routes with 68.4 and 68.2 points, respectively. The total results of this research have shown that routes number 1, 15 and 16 have suitable conditions in terms of geotourism potential, so it is necessary to make comprehensive and long-term plans for the development of geotourism in Kermanshah province with emphasis on the mentioned routes.