Zoning of suitable areas for ski resort construction with sport tourism approach (Case study: Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province)

Abstract

Abstract

Skiing is one of the branches of sport tourism in winter sports sector. This kind of tourism today has become a special trend in the mountainous regions of developed countries and is known as the "white gold", which has a great contribution to the economy of the local communities of these countries. From a global point of view, ski tourism has become an industry, but the industry is now threatened by changes in climate change. The results of general atmospheric circulation models indicate a rise in temperature and a decrease in summer rainfall in Europe (Kaviani et al., 1995: 41). As global warming continues, some of the tourist destinations of skiing will be faced with the risk of decreasing in amount of snow and consequently loss of tourist's numbers. Therefore in such a situation, planning should be aimed at selecting the most suitable places for the construction of ski resorts with the least problem in terms of snowfall and other required parameters and the choice is made in principle and accurately. One of the problems that ski tourism in Iran faces is the installation of ski facilities and ski resorts in unsuitable places. specifying proper location for the construction of sports places and facilities in order to exploiting them optimally and efficiently in the present and future, is important that not paying attention to this issue in many cases leads to a lack of proper use of those places as well as spending too many to build them. One of the useful solutions in selecting and determining suitable sites for the construction of winter sports facilities and ski resorts is the using GIS. Therefore, in this study, the software was used to locate proper areas for construction of ski resorts. Materials & Methods This is an applied research. The research tool was a researcher-made questionnaire in which reliability was confirmed by calculating the incompatibility rate. The sample population of the study is 20 experts from the physical education and cultural heritage organizations of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province who respond to the questionnaire and have performed paired comparisons. In this research, the identification of suitable areas for the construction of a ski resort was carried out by weighting the criteria using the network analysis process and Super decision software. The network analysis process considers each issue and problem as a network of criteria, sub-criteria, and options. All elements in a network can, in any case, be linked together. In other words, in a network, feedback and interconnection between clusters are possible. Mapping is done by the ARC GIS software. In this regard, the most important measures affecting the locating of the ski resort were studied, which combination of these standards with the experimental knowledge of experts in the field of sports, identifies the proper locations for skiing. Results & Discussion Sports tourism in our country is not well- developed and there is no systematic program for sport tourism marketing and despite the huge costs of the physical education organization, the National Olympic Committee, federations and other relevant institutions for conducting national and international sporting events, the great benefits of tourism development resulting from these events cannot be used, and there is always a loss of opportunities in this area. Assessing the environmental capability and determining the potential power and allocating appropriate proportions to it is a method that can provide a logical and sustainable adaptation between the natural power of the environment, the needs of communities and human activities in space. In this way, while protecting biodiversity, sustainable productivity of the land can be achieved. Optimal locating attempts to help decision-makers and planners by regulating indicators and factors influencing decision making and finding logical solutions in order to choose appropriate places to carry out activities. In locating, it is trying to set various parameters in relation to each other. In the present study, in order to identify suitable areas for the construction of a ski resort using the history of the research, interviews which have been made with the experts, three main criteria and eight sub-criteria have been obtained. It should be noted that due to the lack of snowflake network density in the country, the number of snow and frost days and the amount of precipitation have been used. . After obtaining criteria and sub-criteria, the indices were weighed using ANP technique and by combining the results with the layers generated in ArcGIS software, the final map of the suitable areas for skiing in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province was produced. Conclusion In the study, after compiling the indices, the final score of each element was calculated using the ANP technique. In the next step, drawings were drawn and, by combining the weights obtained in the layers, the areas susceptible to the construction of the ski resort were located. In the study, after obtaining the indices, the final score of each element was calculated using the ANP technique. In the next step, needed maps were drawn and, by combining the weights obtained in the layers, the suitable areas for the construction of the ski resort were located. . According to the findings, about 12.9 percent of the province's area has the necessary conditions for the construction of a ski resort with an area of 1632.5 square kilometers, the main part of which is located in Koohrang city, the current most famous resort of Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari province; Chelgaird, is also located in this area. The specified level is considered appropriate in terms of technical conditions, which are considered as necessary indicators. If the research findings are combined with empirical knowledge of experts, the best places in the province for the construction of ski resorts will be located

Keywords

Zoning; ski resort; susceptible areas; sport tourism; Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province