Analysis and Evaluation of the Vulnerability of Tourism Facilities in Urban Areas (Case: Pilgrim Lodgings in Mashhad)

Since the second half of the 20th century, tourism services have become one of the key factors for socio-economic progress and tourism security has been recognized as one of the most important needs of its development. Using a descriptive analytical approach, this study focused on the security of low-cost tourism lodgings (known as pilgrims' temporary houses) in Mashhad, which is one of the most significant aspects of tourism security in this city. Nineteen vulnerability components were investigated regarding three categories: land use, access, and density. To evaluate these components, 10 governmental and endowed lodgings located in Samen area of Mashhad municipality were selected and evaluated using the weighted sum technique in GIS. The results showed that the potential vulnerabilities of the pilgrim lodgings against natural and anthropogenic damages is high. The results also indicate lack of authoritis’ technical supervision over the process of identifying, constructing, and operating the pilgrim lodgings, as their situation do not comply with technical and specialized criteria of tourist facilities.