Abstract
Introduction: Ecotourism and geotourism, as specialized branches of sustainable tourism, play a vital role in the conservation of natural resources and geological heritage. Ecotourism promotes responsible tourism in pristine natural environments, focusing on the conservation of biodiversity and promoting the participation of local communities. While geotourism emphasizes the identification, conservation, and scientific and educational exploitation of geosites and geomorphosites of geological value, these two complementary approaches provide a comprehensive framework for the sustainable development of natural and cultural tourism.
Research Method: In this study, the geotourism potential of ten regions was assessed using two valid methods: Facilus and Nicolas. The Facilus model, emphasizing scientific, tourism, and conservation value indicators, and the Nicolas model, with a multi-criteria approach including scientific and educational value, geological diversity, ecological and cultural value, conservation threats, and usability, provided accurate quantitative and qualitative analyses of geotourism potential.
Conclusion: In the study of prominent geotourism and ecotourism areas in the two cities of Khalkhal and Kowsar, the results showed that the Firouzabad geosite and Aznav village, by obtaining the highest scores in both models, were recognized as key areas for the development of scientific, educational geotourism and environmental protection. Also, combining data from these two models allowed for accurate identification of the strengths and weaknesses of each region and the provision of targeted management solutions to promote tourism conservation and development. This study emphasizes the need for simultaneous use of multi-criteria models for comprehensive assessment of geosites and suggests that in future studies, economic and social indicators should also be considered in order to achieve comprehensive and sustainable tourism development.