Tourism, land and sustainable development

Tourism is one of the factors shaping the activities and spaces in the region and is one of the most important economic activities in the world. Sustainable tourism development, while meeting the current needs of tourists and hosts, also preserves and strengthens future opportunities, and all potential environmental potential is optimally realized. Meanwhile, the management of the establishment and organization of tourism activities will have a significant impact on its sustainability. The tourism environment is a set of activities, uses and people, sometimes even the purpose of tourism is to experience the environment. Because tourism relies on attractions and resources related to the natural environment and historical heritage and cultural patterns of the region.

The development of tourism in the region, while bringing with it many opportunities, will impose serious threats to the environment in the absence of planning and control.

If planned with a sustainable development approach, tourism is able to create direct and indirect economic, social, cultural, environmental and political benefits and play a significant role in development, so a correct understanding of sustainable development, its indicators and patterns and the effects of tourism on this The trend in the region is very important.

Land use planning

Planning for land as the main element of the environment and the most basic element of a settlement, because it is a vital foundation for the health, comfort and satisfaction of residents is important.

Today, due to the diverse and growing needs of people to spend their leisure time, tourism with a wide range of environmental and physical effects and a large number of related facilities, plays a significant role in the land planning model of settlements.

Land use planning is not just determining how the land is produced and materially used, but it is a process that is related to the organization of space and the quality of the environment. From this point of view, organizing space, in addition to meeting functional needs, must also respond to human quality goals such as perception of beauty, feelings of spatial identity and sense of belonging to the environment. Because in the end, it is these factors that provide the comfort and satisfaction of residents. Given these priorities, the provision of leisure and recreation areas is of particular importance in land use planning.

The purpose of land use study is to provide basic information about the characteristics of the land and the various activities that take place in it. In land use studies, the use of land and the distribution of various urban activities such as residential, commercial, medical, roads and passages, education and the like are examined and it is determined in what area and how each activity is distributed and the relationship What are they with each other and to what extent do they have a logical and efficient relationship?

Tourism-related uses

Tourism with a wide range of environmental, economic, social and physical effects is one of the factors affecting the land use pattern that varies depending on the ability of the region to attract tourists and also the type, volume and forms of tourism, intensity and quality of this impact.

The physical manifestation of tourism activities in land use is reflected as follows: accommodation, transportation, recreational, cultural and sports facilities, tourism support services.

Criteria for establishing a tourist land use

Given the wide range of tourism-related uses, the following criteria can be provided to identify the optimal location and location of tourist uses.

Compatibility, appropriateness of land use and location, which is actually considered by observing this criterion of appropriate location and location, in the sense that the tourist land use is suitable and there is a proportion between the performance of that land and its location or not? For example, the establishment of a friendly hotel requires a special location, and the construction of a restaurant and an international conference center requires a different location.

Proximity, how to combine, associate and arrange adjacent uses, which refers to the degree to which the uses fit together. Most of all, tourist use should be located on the route or near tourist attractions.

In establishing a tourist use, the proximity of this use to crowded and polluting uses such as disturbing industries, workshops, slaughterhouses, cemeteries and military uses should be avoided. Uses such as urban and commercial services, residential, green space have good proximity to tourist use.

Comfort, ease of use and operation defines comfort according to factors such as distance and time. This criterion pays attention to ease of access to the user. Access to communication networks, infrastructure such as water, lighting, telephone and internet and natural gas coverage, access to public facilities such as religious and cultural centers, sports facilities, parks and green spaces, cinemas and theaters and fuel stations play an important role in providing tourists comfort. They play.

Establishment of tourist land in difficult places and areas far from the radius of operation of public facilities and infrastructure is not suitable.

Efficiency, profitability, efficiency of established facilities in relation to economic factors such as land, ownership and land price. Economic logic dictates that economic efficiency be taken into account in determining tourist uses according to seasonal changes and the flow of travelers and tourists and the expected level of services.

Desirability, sensory richness, or pleasant and acceptable place of use in the sense that the appearance of the environment or the way of landscape design makes it acceptable to tourists. Establishment of tourist uses in areas with beautiful landscapes such as the sea or fields or fields and historical monuments makes the place desirable.

Health and safety, the relative guarantee of safety and health of tourists in a place is a very serious issue. Ensuring social and economic security and physical health and tranquility of tourists is obvious. The construction of a recreational complex in areas of danger, such as floods and landslides, and the remoteness of relief and law enforcement centers and medical centers will not ensure the safety of tourists.

Tourism with a wide range of environmental, economic, social and physical effects is one of the factors affecting land use pattern. Defining, establishing, controlling and organizing these activities and uses in the region will have a significant impact on environmental sustainability. Otherwise, the preference of financial and economic benefits as well as quick and unsustainable options in the management systems of this process instead of the approach of sustainability, tourism and its physical consequences will become a threat to the sustainable development of the region.

Criteria of compatibility, proximity, comfort, efficiency, desirability, and health and safety to identify the optimal location and location of tourist uses will help decision makers, policy makers and planners to seize opportunities and control the threats posed by tourism.