Formulating Management Model in Geotourism with an Emphasis on Entrepreneurship in Rural Areas (Case Study: Mahallat City)

Geotourism is a relatively new subfield of tourism that focuses on the evaluation, behavior, and management of landforms as tourism destinations in urban and rural areas. The achievement of this field would be, in addition to the sustainability of the environment, the revival and exploitation of the cultural heritage and entrepreneurship of the indigenous community in urban and rural areas. In line with economic and cultural developments in rural areas adjacent to geomorphosites and their evaluation, this study tried to develop a management model with the aim of implementing the results of geomorphosite evaluation in the rural territory of Mahalat city. This study used field and library studies. Field studies consist of two stages. The first stage includes the identification and evaluation of sites and the pathology of the existing situation, and the second stage includes the formulation of a management model and its adaptation to the studied characteristics. The results of this study, in the form of a rural geotourism management model, were categorized into eight main steps: 1) formulating the vision of geotourism in villages; 2) identifying the ecology of the studied area; 3) evaluating geomorphosites; 4) identifying the equilibrium capacity of geomorphosites in response to natural and human hazards; 5) investigating the scale of geotourism; 6) analyzing the opportunities and challenges of natural management; 7) analyzing the opportunities and challenges of human management; 8) matching the model with the set goals. Generally, the determined issues can be met through the interaction of the central government, local management and experts in order to achieve the goals of geotourism and the development of rural society. The final results of the implementation of the management model, including the identification, evaluation, interpretation, application of management components, show deficiencies in the management process in this field. The local community, especially the villages (including Khorheh), can use organized sources with the help of scientific approaches and construct inexpensive tourism infrastructures (public health services, second homes, brochures, etc.) to bring about the development of villages, especially improve their employment.