The Feasibility of Ecotourism Attraction in an Arid Area (Case Study: Tezerjan Telecabin)

Ecotourism is a modern phenomenon in which the tourist's principal motive is observation and pleasure of nature and features and naturalcultural landscapes. We can consider it as one of the new sources of income in the line of sustainable development of our Province. The main object of this research is the examination and evaluation of natural phenomena which are attractive for tourism in order to recognize ecotourism fields and opportunitiesYazd Province with an area of 131,551 km2 (the third province from an area view point) and with a population of about 880.000 is situated in the central plateau realm. The average annual rainfall is 107 mm, the average annual temperature is 18°. and the rate of relative humidity is between 30 and 35%. Yazd, as one of the regions with dry climate,has natural, historical and cultural attractions with tourist attraction potentials. The city of Taft with different climatic conditions in comparison with other regions (the average rainfall of 250 mm) and with mountains and a glacier is considered as tourism axis of theprovince. With regard to ecological capability evaluation, ecotourism potential is obtained with GIS software and with tourism ecological model (Makhdum) in the Tezerjan region. In the mentioned region, areas with centralized outdoor recreation potential of grade 1 have very limited area arising from limitation of soil, water, ground cover, and climate of this region. In the sites 1 and 2, they have a vast outdoor recreational potential of grade 2 and suggested sites 3 and 4 have grade 1 for centralized outdoor recreation.