Developing a Business Plan for Tourism Development in Wetlands: A Case Study of the International Kani Barazan Wetland of Iran

The development of tourism in wetlands by observing its environmental criteria can provide sustainable incomes for its management and protection while creating more dependence of local communities on the wetland. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to prepare a business plan for the sustainable development of the wetland and its surrounding areas with an emphasis on the mutual increase and productivity of economic efficiency and environmental sustainability. In this regard, by examining the position of the plan in the above documents, identifying and analyzing the current state of lands in various fields, identifying the views and expectations of stakeholders, and using Turner's colorful spaces idea approach, to develop a strategic plan document (mission, goals, and strategies) and the spatial-physical planning document (scalable functions and functional levels) is discussed. The study was conducted during the year 2020-2021. Then, by discovering the market price and analyzing the supply, demand of the proposed uses, and surveying the key stakeholders, the project proposal (comprehensive plan) is presented. Finally, the physical program scenarios are examined from a financial perspective and in the form of cost-benefit analysis, and for different uses, costs, and revenues, estimates, and investment packages are presented. Tourism complexes include a nature park, a sports park, a health village, nature-marking sports, and a rural bazaar as a result of the design. The results also show that the business project of tourism development in Kani Barazan wetland in all uses, is financially justifiable and according to the calculated internal rate of return, has the necessary attractiveness for investment based on the obtained findings, the net present value (NPV) of the whole project is 5.4 billion Tomans, the internal rate of return (IRR) is about 35% and the cost-benefit ratio (B / C) is 1.12 and the payback period (PBP) is 5 years. Therefore, it is recommended to consider the plan implementation for government and local authorities according to the economic and natural capacities of the region and the economic justification of the project.