SWOT-AHP-TOWS Analysis for Sustainable Ecotourism Development in the Best Area in Lorestan Province, Iran

Sustainable ecotourism development (SED) in areas with a low potential for development through other sectors, can be a sustainable income-generating activity for locals and a place for tourists to spend their free time. In this regard, planners and policymakers must focus on SED in areas with a meanwhile, if we want to develop ecotourism, we need to evaluate the existing ecotourism areas in each region. Indeed, a study is required that can follow this goal using sustainability indicators. This study was conducted to develop a model to recognize the indicators of evaluating the Ecotourism Sustainability (EES) and to fill the gap of research for SED in the west of Iran. Accordingly, we identified 30 indicators in three dimensions (economic, social, and environmental) of sustainability for EES in six eco-touristic areas in the west of Iran. The best area (Gahar Lake) was selected using the Composite Index (CI). Then, we formulated and ranked the strategies in the SWOT-AHP-TOWS analysis. The results of the CI section showed that the weight of economic indicators in EES was greater than that of other dimensions. AHP analysis revealed that the most important criteria for the SED in Gahar Lake were the opportunities in this area. Also, according to the ranking of strategies extracted in the matrix of TOWS, the most important strategy was Advertising and introducing the beautiful nature of the lake nationally and internationally. Our main suggestion is for Iran's Tourism Organization to pursue more serious negotiations with international organizations for the global registration of the lake as an ecotourism zone.