Geotourism and Their Potential Assessment in Qaflankuh Area, Myaneh,NW Iran, Using Mathematical Target Model

The studied area is located at southeast of Myaneh, in east Azarbaijan province. The tourism industry, especially geotourism is a new approach for improving of coexistence of human and nature, in order to make economic benfites is nowadays very important for local development.By evaluation of natural potential of areas with direction, planning and physical developments in the direction of tourisms industry and absorption of tourist especially in national and international scale, can help to provide job opportunities.This study, by investigating a small sample of geotourism potential of the country, tries to help a new approach towards the natural resources of the country. Threfore in this study, for investigation and evaluation of geotourism potentials of the study area, the taget function and traversing the geomorphological and geological features are carried out. In the model, using advantage coefficient (dij), it is possible to allocate tourism potential preferential to different locations and announce the location with highest advantage coefficient as top tourism localities. This research is a case study for using advantage coefficient model for the Qaflankuh area in east Azarbaijan. This area has unique, intact historical and natural features that can attract tourists. The variety of rocks in the area (andesite, basalt, rhyolite, ignimberite, fissure dykes, agates, perlite, faults, agglomerates, volcanic breccias, and volcanic bomb) has provided spectacular sights for every geosciences and geography. Qaleh Dokhtar and Pol- Dokhtar are example of historical-cultural sites. The results of this study, introduces the study area as a scientific geopark and as a natural history museum.