Evaluation of health tourism in the southern shores of Caspian sea with emphasis on climatic axes(based on TCI, SST, LST indices)
Sayedeh Somayeh Hossieni
1
(
Assistant professor, Faculty of Geographical Sciences and Planning, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
)
رحمان زندی
2
(
دکتری جغرافیا، دانشگاه حکیم سبزواری، سبزوار
)
مسعود تقوایی
3
(
استاد جغرافیا و برنامه ریزی شهری، دانشگاه اصفهان، اصفهان، ایران
)
Seyyed Eskandar Seidaiy
4
(
Associate Professor, Faculty of Geography Sciences and Planning, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.
)
Keywords: health tourism, TCI index, LST index, SST index,
Abstract :
Background & Objectives: Studying the climate as a part of the tourism resources database is essential to planning for the development of health tourism in general and naturopathy in particular. Accordingly, the present study aims to identify the potential of tourism climate and clarify the condition of the land surface temperature (LST) and the sea surface temperature (SST) in the southern shores of the Caspian Sea- as one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iran- in line with the development of the health tourism focusing on the naturopathy. Methods: This study employed a descriptive-analytical research design and was conducted using the following data: the meteorological data obtained from 7 coastal synoptic stations over a 33-year period (1987-2020) to calculate the tourism climate index (TCI), Landsat and MODIS satellite data to estimate the LST index, NOVA satellite data to evaluate the changes in the SST, and the data obtained from 6 marine stations to verify the NOVA satellite data. Conclusions: Based on TCI and the use of GIS, in the southern shores of the Caspian Sea, March (Bandar-e Gaz), April (Bandar-e Gaz, Gorgan, and Babolsar), May (Bandar-e Anzali), June (Astara and Bandar-e Anzali), August (Ramsar), September (Rasht, Bandar-e Gaz, Gorgan, and Babolsar), and October (Bander-e Gaz and Gorgan) have ideal to excellent climate conditions. Hence, they can be assumed as the most ideal months for the presence of the health tourists in different regions seeking naturopathy. Since the meteorological stations only measure the temperature parameters for specific locations, the LST was determined using the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) and Landsat satellite data and then compared with the temperature recorded in the meteorological station. According to the obtained results, the LST is increasing in all the stations of the region in question except for Babolsar. By this trend, the tourism comfort climate would certainly change in the long term. Also, the results of the alterations in the Caspian Sea’s SST imply that the annual temperature is in a rising trend. In addition, the temperature monthly fluctuations indicate that from May to October,