Investigating the Potential of Tourism and Ecotourism in Ardakan City Using SWOT Model

Today, tourism industry is an important source of income, at the same time it is one of the vital factors in cultural exchanges among countries and it has a special postion in terms of being the most extensive service industry in the world. Despite abundant tourist attractions, Ardakan city, as one of the most beautiful regions in Yazd province, lacks the appropriate facilities to attract tourists. In this study, it has been attempted to identify the capabilities and limitations of tourism development in the city and to determine the suitable strategies for the development of tourism and ecotourism in this city.

The method used in this study is of a descriptive-analytic type. To collect the required information, library studies, document reviews and field studies, including interviews and questionnaires, were used. Study of attractions, amenities and services as well as overall situation of tourism and ecotourism in the region was rendered according to the information obtained. In the next step, SWOT method was used to analyze the information and provide guidelines and strategies for the development of tourism and ecotourism.

Results demonstrated that the total weighted scores of the matrices for table of internal and external factors are 2.63 and 2.36 respectively. The obtained value was lower than average, showing the strengths and opportunities are not used properly to overcome the weaknesses and threats. The weaknesses outweigh the strengths and the threats are dominant to opportunities. In addition, the type of strategy obtained was a variety (contingency) strategy. Discussion and

The results show that Ardakan city has great potential for tourism and ecotourism and by investing, planning and proper management these capabilities can be used for sustainable development of tourism in the city.