Analysis of Ecotourism Market in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiyari Province, IRAN

Due to people's searching for a unique new destination to pass their holidays and release for a while, the province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiyari in Iran is one of the top touristic destinations in which a combination of huge natural beauty and rich history due to the nomadic lifestyle has made this province as a potential region for eco-tourism development, however this province has not a high volume of tourism flow at this time. To remove this shortcoming of tourism market in the area, in this study a baseline analysis of current situation of tourism industry has been done through in-depth interviews with the main stakeholders in eco-tourism market in the province. The potentials of tourism market in the area have been reviewed through SWOT analysis technique. The results will provide the tourism decision makers the main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The main strengths and opportunities of the province is related to environmental and cultural issues due to its unique vast natural environment and nomadic lifestyle, however the main weaknesses and threats of the tourism destination is related to political and technological issues due to global sanctions of Iran and lack of sufficient infrastructure for eco-tourism.