Evaluation of the ecology and management of desert areas in order to assess their ecotourist capabilities: A case study of Potas tourism complex in Khor-o-Biabanak

In line with the persistent development of tourism by means of field studies and questionnaires, the present study is an attempt to analyze the capabilities of ecotourism in Potas tourist complex in the desert area of Khor-o-Biabanak. The assessment method was based on ecological and management standards. According to the results, the average ecologic values of Salt Village, Tashtab, Kamal Abad Village and Beheshti Farm were 5.85, 4.51, 5, and 1.64 respectively. In addition, the average scores of their management were 6.06, 5.66, 4.85, and 5.59 respectively, which indicates the higher ecologic and management potential of Salt Village than the other attractions. The highest percentage for Salt Village (64.42) belonged to the productivity index. Also, the complementary standard of the beauty index was found to have the complete score of 100%, which demonstrates the unique perspective of the region. The maximum scores of Tashtab, 63.33% and 95%, belonged to protection criterion, facility index and support services respectively. The maximum scores of Kamal Abad Village, 64% and 95%, were gained by complementary criterion and rare attraction indices. The highest scores of Beheshti Farm, 59.15% and 100%, were for productivity criterion, facility index, and support services. Consequently, Salt Village, with the score of 58.08%, emerged to have the highest value, but the lowest value belonged to Thastab with the score of 36.68%. This shows the desirable development of tourism due to better accessibility and more investment in Salt Village than in the other regions.