Feasibility Sustainable Development of desert ecotourism in Shiraz Desert

Tourism development in places that have the potential to attract tourists could be employed as an effective tool for comprehensive growth and development of communities.Fars province is considered as one of the important tourism centers in Iran in terms ofhaving numerous natural, historical, and cultural potentials, among which desert regions could be mentioned. This research was aimed to evaluate the desert tourism attractions of Shiraz Desert and determine the strategies for sustainable tourism development using SWOT. In this regard, initially, the capabilities and limitations of the study area were identified and after consultation with experts, questionnaires were developed and given to the tourists in the region and natural resources experts. Then, the results of questionnaires were analyzed using SWOT and statistical tests in SPSS software. According to the obtained results, growth and development strategy is recommended for development of desert ecotourism.