Identification of the Feasibility of Proper Regions for Establishing Residence for Tourists by Using GIS and AHP Model: Case Study of Golmakan, Chenaran

According to the reports and statistics given by the World Organization of Tourism,
today tourism has become one of the most popular and widely practiced economic
activities. It is considered as a major source of income in more than 150 countries. In
this regard, the activities related to hospitality and catering of tourists make up an
essential part of the tourism economy with a great potential to create employment and
income, especially in rural areas. Due to this important issues and positive effects of
tourism activities on the economy and life the less advantaged, knowing the capacity
of tourist areas is necessary to organize activities and tourist places possible in order to
increase the satisfaction of tourists, and more economic feasibility for the host
community as well the protection of ecosystems. Thus, the study aim is to identify the
permitted areas of opportunity in Golmakan, Chenaran city as a recreational resort
around the city in order to establish permanent and temporary tourism residence. The
research method is descriptive - analytical and applied, done through documentary and
field study. To analyze the data, hierarchical model (AHP) and GIS software is used.
In hierarchical moded (AHP), the factors that influence zoning were obtained by
related experts and then weighed, and in the end, standards (layers) obtained were
combined according to the weight of each criterion by overlay functions in GIS
software. Each zone score was obtained with respect to the factors and weights. The
findings show that the proposed criteria are majorly based on natural beauties of the
region. Accordingly, the regions in Golmakan to accommodate and establish tourism
settlements can be divided into prohibited, conditional and permitted. This research
showed that there are only 17% of the allowed zones with high potential for the
establishment of residential centers that should be considered for investment and
construction of the facility.