Geotourism is a combination of the words ‘earth’ and ‘tourism’, and it is a kind of tourism with geological, morphological, and cultural attractions. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the capabilities of some geomorphological landforms
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Geotourism is a combination of the words ‘earth’ and ‘tourism’, and it is a kind of tourism with geological, morphological, and cultural attractions. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the capabilities of some geomorphological landforms in creating geotourist attractions of geosites using the Komanescu and Pavlova competitiveness models. Based on the results of Komanescu and Paulova models, Fandoghlu Forest Park with an average of 14.45 had the highest and Sardabe waterfall with 11.85 had the lowest score among landforms. The geomorphosites of Sabalan Lake, Neor Lake, Hiran Pass, and Alvares Ski Resort were ranked second to fifth respectively. In addition to having a scientific and aesthetic value, the high score of Fanodghlou Forest Park may be due to the presence of beautiful and unique geomorphological landforms, wildlife, and its pristine environment. The results of competitiveness analysis showed that Fandoghlu forest has more potential capabilities for tourists compared with those of the studied areas as well as other geotourism areas. The general result of the research shows the high potential of the values of the studied geosites; however, due to the lack of necessary infrastructure, the category of geotourism in these areas requires macro-planning at the regional and national levels. Finally, to attract tourists and introduce geotourist areas, it is suggested to design an online system for virtual tourism.
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