Abstract
Geotourism and geomorphotourism are considered the most important sub-categories of tourism industry in recent years, and their systematic development based on the principles of proper planning and creating required infrastructure can have a direct impact on sustainable development of every country. With regard to the climate and tectonic conditions, Iran has the most versatile landforms and exquisite geological phenomena that can attract many geoscientists as well as adventurous tourists. The purpose of this article is introducing Kavir national park (Maranjab Desert) geomorphosites, and exploring ways to develop geotourism in this area. Geomorphotourism is tourism with emphasis on visiting geomorphologic phenomena and landscapes. At the same time, the integration of historic and cultural heritage, as well as ecological attractions, highlight its importance and further increases its impact on development. The results of the studies show that Kavir national park area is among the most capable regions for sustainable tourism development, because it is one of the most accessible desert areas of Iran, it also has a moderate temperature, geological and tourism attraction diversity, diversity of wilderness and vegetation species, outstanding desert landscape, along with cultural and historic attractions. The region takes advantage of landscapes such as saif (seif) dunes, barchan dunes, ripple marks, desert pavements, sand dunes, nebkhas, salt lakes, salt polygons, inflated and puffy salt surfaces, Sargardan Island (Wandering Island) and so on. Kavir national park has a lot of potential for carrying out further studies and the impact on economic development and operation at national and international levels. This article seeks to introduce mentioned potentials in Kavir national park region.
Highlights
Iran is a country of great culture and advanced civilization, and its natural and cultural heritage diversity has made it one of the top ten world tourism countries, and its archaeological, cultural, natural and geological attractions has created an excellent platform for development of geotourism[1]
Most tourists are looking for visiting natural attractions, especially unique geological phenomena, and Kavir national park is no exception due to the geographical location and proximity to the city of Kashan, which is the most important tourism centers of Iran, as well as proximity to Tehran-Isfahan highway, which is one of the most important access roads of the country
Geomorphosites of interest for tourism in the area include saif forms, barchan dunes, ripple marks, desert pavements, sand dunes, nebkhas, Salt Lake, salt polygons, inflated and puffy salt surfaces, Wandering Island, etc.. This study seeks to introduce phenomena that may seem simple at first sight in a geotourism perspective, and emphasizes that by proper planning and correct management, we can take steps toward local and national geotourism development
Summary
Iran is a country of great culture and advanced civilization, and its natural and cultural heritage diversity has made it one of the top ten world tourism countries, and its archaeological, cultural, natural and geological attractions has created an excellent platform for development of geotourism[1]. Iran has a beautiful nature, diverse climate and regions rich in unique earth sciences features, in which studying these attractions seems essential for further understanding and development of geotourism[2]. Geosites and geomorphosites are the two new concepts in tourism studies, that have entered into geographic and tourism literature with the emphasis on locating special and valuable regions for tourism[3]. Geosites are the locations that contain interesting shapes and geological and geomorphologic features, and they can become geosites in case tourism infrastructures are provided[4]. The geomorphosites or special geomorphologic places are surface
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