Wetland capabilities in enhancing wetland tourism in gandoman, iran

Abstract

The uniqueness of wetland tourism has become a signifi cant component in the tourism industry, particularly in developing countries. Without any doubt, wetland areas have a lot of capabilities to attract tourists. Nevertheless, the relationship between local communities and capabilities of wetland areas continues to be an obstacle that hampers the successful use of the natural resources. A key component of this relationship is the lack of local communities' training regarding wetland areas and their limited knowledge on how to use these resources. Thus, this study reviews the theoretical and empirical issues of the relationship between local communities and their possible contribution in wetland tourism management based on a case study done in the Gandoman wetland area located in the Chahar-Mahal and Bakhtiari province of Iran. This study aims to make use of measurements derived from fi eld study methods and descriptive method which was conducted at the Gandoman area that involved a series of semi-structured interviews to determine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats via the SWOT strategies/analysis. Results presented here support those derived from previous studies about the training of local communities in using wetland potential and the relationship with environmental friendly behaviour. Managers and planners in various relevant organizations must work together in developing well thought strategic agenda to benefi t from wetland tourism. The authors then subsequently provide some strategies and offer suggestions on ways to develop wetland tourism within the Gandoman wetlands. © 2014 WIT Press.