Evaluation of Ecotourism Development Potential of Gavandareh Area of Qorveh City Using Integrated Model AHP-SWOT

Ecotourism or nature tourism is one of the tourist attractions based on natural attractions and has received much attention in recent years due to its importance in the economic development of the regions. One of the main factors for the development of ecotourism is the favorable natural conditions. The Gavandareh region is considered as one of the areas that have good conditions for development of ecotourism. This research is based on descriptive-analytical methods. The required research information is based on library studies and field surveys and the models used in the study include the SWOT and AHP models. In order to achieve these goals, we first identify the internal strengths (S), internal weaknesses (W), external opportunities (O) and external threats (T) of the study area. Then, using the AHP model, each of the criteria and sub-criteria is weighted and finally the most important internal and external factors affecting the development of ecotourism in the region are identified. The results indicate that among the identified internal and external sub-criteria, Indirect and indirect employment (O2), access to water resources (S2), provincial and region indexing (O1), infrastructure development (O5) and easy access (S1) are the most important Effective criteria for ecotourism development in the region have been identified.