Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Ecotourism sustainability assessment using geospatial multiple approach in the Kurdistan region of Iraq

  • Published:
GeoJournal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Identifying the potential of ecotourism sustainability is one of the priorities of many countries, it is a goal for effective and efficient resource use on earth. Analyzing the growth of the economy and conservation methods for sustainable developing countries can be achieved by determining the possibility of ecotourism sustainability. And, it is essential to base the evaluation on sustainable development. This study assesses and maps the potential for sustainable ecotourism development using geospatial multiple approaches. Using 28 casual indicators within the three major groups of criteria of natural attraction, human attraction, and service tourism attraction were determined and integrated according to geospatial multi-criteria decision analysis. The indicators were prepared from different resources and standardization, criteria ranking, weighting, and spatial aggregation were performed to carry out the ecotourism suitability map in the Kurdistan region of Iraq (KRI). The result has produced a map to identify areas with a high potential for ecotourism sustainability in (KRI). The ecotourism sustainability map shows that about (54%) of the study area has a rating of very high, very good, and good suitability. This means the majority of the study area has a high potential for sustainable ecotourism development. It can be concluded that GIS—Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) has a good ability in combining multiple datasets to produce suitability maps. The results could be used as a basis for tourism-related development plans by the Kurdistan region government and private sector.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

All data are available on: http://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.20036498.

References

  • Abdulla, H. R. (2006). Climate relationship with tobacco production in sulaymaneyah governorate. Dissertation Master’s degree, College of Education, University of Mosul.

  • Abedi Gheshlaghi, H., Feizizadeh, B., & Blaschke, T. (2020). GIS-based forest fire risk mapping using the analytical network process and fuzzy logic. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 63(3), 481–499. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2019.1594726

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ahmed, M. M., & Najmadin, S. M. (2016). 1st international conference on engineering and innovative technology, SU-ICEIT 2016, 12–14. Kurdistan, Iraq: Salahaddin University-Erbil.

  • Al Jaff, A. A. M., Al Shabander, M. S., & Bala, H. A. (2017). Modernity and tradition in the context of erbil old town. American Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture, 5(6), 217–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aliani, H., BabaieKafaky, S., Saffari, A., & Monavari, S. M. (2017). Land evaluation for ecotourism development—An integrated approach based on FUZZY, WLC, and ANP methods. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 14(9), 1999–2008. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-017-1291-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • AL-Najjar, M. A. M., & Ishwara, P. (2018). A study on the global economic impact on the tourism industry in Yemen. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 7(4), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.2991/aebmr.k.200626.024

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aneseyee, A. B., Abebaw, A., & Haile, B. T. (2022). Identification of suitable sites for the community-based ecotourism developments in Abijiata-Shalla Lakes National park, Ethiopia. Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment, 26, 100750.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arsić, S., Nikolić, D., & Živković, Ž. (2017). Hybrid SWOT-ANP-FANP model for prioritization strategies of sustainable development of ecotourism in National park Djerdap, Serbia. Forest Policy and Economics, 80, 11–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2017.02.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Asaad, I. S., & Balaky, S. M. (2021). Geotourism potential of Akre area, Duhok Governorate, Iraqi Kurdistan Region. Bulletin of the Geological Society of Malaysia, 71, 99–112. https://doi.org/10.7186/bgsm71202109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Asadi, H., Soffianian, A., Hemami, M. R., Fakheran, S., Akbari Feizabadi, H., & Corcoran, F. (2022). A hybrid GIS-OWA and DANP method for the identification and evaluation of ecotourism attractions: The case study of Abbas Abad Wildlife Refuge, Iran. GeoJournal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-021-10564-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Asyraf, M. K. M., Nor’Aini, Y., &Suraiyati, R. (2013). Rivers, lakes, and swamps: Sustainable approach towards ecotourism. In: Proceedings of the 3rd regional conference on tourism research (pp. 29–31).

  • Ayağ, Z., & Özdemir, R. G. (2007). An intelligent approach to ERP software selection through fuzzy ANP. International Journal of Production Research, 45(10), 2169–2194. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207540600724849

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buonincontri, P., Micera, R., Murillo-Romero, M., & Pianese, T. (2021). Where does sustainability stand in underground tourism? A Literature Review. Sustainability, 13(22), 12745. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212745

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Büyüközkan, G., & Çifçi, G. (2012). Evaluation of the green supply chain management practices: A fuzzy ANP approach. Production Planning & Control, 23(6), 405–418. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2011.561814

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Çakıt, E., & Karwowski, W. (2018). A fuzzy overlay model for mapping adverse event risk in an active war theatre. Journal of Experimental & Theoretical Artificial Intelligence, 30(5), 691–701. https://doi.org/10.1080/0952813X.2018.1467494

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Camilleri, M. A., (2018). The tourism industry: An overview. Travel marketing, tourism economics and the airline product. An introduction to theory and practice (pp. 3–27). Department of Corporate Communication University of Malta, Msida, Malta, Springer International Publishing AG. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49849-2

  • Coyle, G. (2004). The analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Practical strategy: Structured tools and techniques. Open Access Material.

  • de Brito, M. M., Almoradie, A., & Evers, M. (2019). Spatially-explicit sensitivity and uncertainty analysis in a MCDA-based flood vulnerability model. International Journal of Geographical Information Science, 33(9), 1788–1806. https://doi.org/10.1080/13658816.2019.1599125

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bunruamkaew, K., & Murayam, Y. (2011). Site suitability evaluation for ecotourism using GIS & AHP: A case study of Surat Thani province, Thailand. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 21, 269–278.

  • Deng, J., King, B., & Bauer, T. (2002). Evaluating natural attractions for tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 29(2), 422–438. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0160-7383(01)00068-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elliott, J. (2020). Tourism: Politics and public sector management. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003070986

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feizizadeh, B., Blaschke, T., & Nazmfar, H. (2014a). GIS-based ordered weighted averaging and Dempster-Shafer methods for landslide susceptibility mapping in the Urmia Lake Basin Iran. International Journal ofDigital Earth, 7(8), 688–708. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538947.2012.749950

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feizizadeh, B., Blaschke, T., & Roodposhti, M. S. (2013). Integrating GIS based fuzzy set theory in multicriteria evaluation methods for landslide susceptibility mapping. International Journal of Geoinformatics, 9(3), 49–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cageo.2014.08.001i

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feizizadeh, B., Blaschke, T., Tiede, D., & Moghaddam, M. H. R. (2017). Evaluating fuzzy operators of an object-based image analysis for detecting landslides and their changes. Geomorphology, 293, 240–254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.06.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feizizadeh, B., Ronagh, Z., Pourmoradian, S., Gheshlaghi, H. A., Lakes, T., & Blaschke, T. (2021). An efficient GIS-based approach for sustainability assessment of urban drinking water consumption patterns: A study in Tabriz city Iran. Sustainable Cities and Society, 64, 102584. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2020.102584

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feizizadeh, B., Roodposhti, M. S., Jankowski, P., & Blaschke, T. (2014b). A GIS-based extended fuzzy multi-criteria evaluation for landslide susceptibility mapping. Computers & Geosciences, 73, 208–221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cageo.2014.08.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernández, X. L., Coto-Millán, P., & Díaz-Medina, B. (2018). The impact of tourism on airport efficiency: The Spanish case. Utilities Policy, 55, 52–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jup.2018.09.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernando, S. L. J., & Shariff, N. M. (2017). Site suitability analysis for ecotourism development at the Kirala Kele partial-nature-based wetland of southern Sri Lanka. International Journal of Sciences: Basic and Applied Research (IJSBAR), 32, 89–104.

  • Folgado-Fernández, J. A., Di-Clemente, E., Hernández-Mogollón, J. M., & Campón-Cerro, A. M. (2019). Water tourism: A new strategy for the sustainable management of water-based ecosystems and landscapes in Extremadura (Spain). Land, 8(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.3390/land8010002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gandhi, K., Govindan, K., & Jha, P. C. (2016). Fuzzy bi-criteria decision making approach for supplier selection and distribution network planning in supply chain management. Journal of Information and Optimization Sciences, 37(5), 653–679. https://doi.org/10.1080/02522667.2016.1191184

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gautam, B. P. (2011). Tourism and economic growth in Nepal. NRB Economic Review, 23(2), 18–30.

  • Ghanem, J. (2017). Conceptualizing “the Tourist”: A critical review of UNWTO definition. Master Thesis, Master in Tourism Management and Planning, University of Girona, Faculty of Tourism.

  • Gheshlaghi, H. A., & Feizizadeh, B. (2017). An integrated approach of analytical network process and fuzzy based spatial decision-making systems applied to landslide risk mapping. Journal of African Earth Sciences, 133, 15–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2017.05.007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gheshlaghi, H. A., & Feizizadeh, B. (2021). GIS-based ensemble modelling of fuzzy system and bivariate statistics as a tool to improve the accuracy of landslide susceptibility mapping. Natural Hazards. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-021-04673-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ghorbanzadeh, O., Feizizadeh, B., & Blaschke, T. (2018). Multi-criteria risk evaluation by integrating an analytical network process approach into GIS-based sensitivity and uncertainty analyses. Geomatics, Natural Hazards and Risk, 9(1), 127–151. https://doi.org/10.1080/19475705.2017.1413012

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ghorbanzadeh, O., Pourmoradian, S., Blaschke, T., & Feizizadeh, B. (2019). Mapping potential nature-based tourism areas by applying GIS-decision making systems in East Azerbaijan province Iran. Journal of Ecotourism, 18(3), 261–283. https://doi.org/10.1080/14724049.2019.1597876

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ghosh, J. K., Bhattacharya, D., & Sharma, S. K. (2012) Fuzzy knowledge-based GIS for zonation of landslide susceptibility. In Applications of Chaos and Nonlinear Dynamics in Science and Engineering (Vol. 2 pp. 21-37). Springer, Berlin

  • Giampiccoli, A., Dłużewska, A., & Mnguni, E. M. (2022). Host population well-being through community-based tourism and local control: issues and ways forward. Sustainability, 14(7), 4372. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14074372

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gigović, L., Pamučar, D., Lukić, D., & Marković, S. (2016). GIS-Fuzzy DEMATEL MCDA model for the evaluation of the sites for ecotourism development: A case study of “Dunavski ključ” region, Serbia. Land Use Policy, 58, 348–365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2016.07.030

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gumal, M.T., Yin, C., Yasin, Y., Rosedy, E., Tan, D. and Ng, S., (2022). Natural environment. In Malaysia’sleap into the future (pp. 307–335). Springer, Singapore.

  • Hajizadeh, F., Poshidehro, M., & Yousefi, E. (2020). Scenario-based capability evaluation of ecotourism development-an integrated approach based on WLC, and FUZZY-OWA methods. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 25(6), 637–650. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2020.1752752

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamad, R., Kolo, K., & Balzter, H. (2018). Land cover changes induced by demining operations in halgurd-sakran national park in the kurdistan region of Iraq. Sustainability, 10(7), 2422.

  • Hammodat, W. W., Ibraheem, A. T., &Demir, Y. K. (2020, February). Using airport geographic information systems (AGIS) to develop a comprehensive digital library for Erbil International Airport. In: IOP Conference series: materials science and engineering (Vol. 737, No. 1, p. 012144). IOP Publishing. https://doi.org/10.2174/1874447801711010001

  • Highlights, U. T. (2017). World tourism organization (UNWTO).

  • Hunt, C. A., Durham, W. H., Driscoll, L., & Honey, M. (2015). Can ecotourism deliver real economic, social, and environmental benefits? A study of the Osa Peninsula Costa, Rica. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 23(3), 339–357. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2014.965176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iskakova, K., Bayandinova, S., Aliyeva, Z., Aktymbayeva, A. Baiburiyev, R., (2021). Ecological Tourism in the Republic ofKazakhstan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77462-2_7

  • Jeong, J. S., García-Moruno, L., Hernandez-Blanco, J., & Sánchez-Ríos, A. (2016). Planning of rural housings in reservoir areas under (mass) tourism based on a fuzzy DEMATEL-GIS/MCDA hybrid and participatory method for Alange, Spain. Habitat International, 57, 143–153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2016.07.008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kurdistan regional government, Ministry of transport and communications, 2019, general directorate of meteorology and earthquake of Kurdistan region

  • Kurdistan region government, Ministry of municipality, general board of tourism 2020, general directorate of tourism—Sulaimani, Sulaimani guide, printed by Phoenix company, p83.

  • Kurdistan region governorate, Kurdistan board of tourism, 2020, statistics about number of tourists in Kurdistan region.

  • Kurdistan region governorate, Ministry of planning, 2020.

  • Kurdistan region governorate, Ministry of planning, Sulaymaniyah statistical directorate, 2020.

  • Kurdistan regional government, Ministry of transport and communications, 2020, general directorate of meteorology and earthquake of Kurdistan region

  • Kurdistan regional government, Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources—KRG, 2021

  • Kurdistan regional government, ministry of interior, population, 2019

  • Kurdistan regional government, Ministry of planning, Sulaimani statistics directorate, planning Chamber, 2019

  • Liu, W. J., Jiang, H., & Yu, H. Q. (2019). Emerging applications of biochar-based materials for energy storage and conversion. Energy & Environmental Science, 12(6), 1751–1779.

  • MacCannell, D. (2001). Tourist agency. Tourist Studies, 1(1), 23–37.

  • Majdak, P., & de Almeida, A. M. M. (2022). Pre-Emptively managing overtourism by promoting rural tourism in low-density areas: lessons from Madeira. Sustainability, 14(2), 757. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14020757

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mandić, A. (2019). Nature-based solutions for sustainable tourism development in protected natural areas: A review. Environment Systems and Decisions, 39(3), 249–268. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10669-019-09718-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Masoud, A. M., Pham, Q. B., Alezabawy, A. K., & El-Magd, S. A. A. (2022). Efficiency of geospatial technology and multi-criteria decision analysis for groundwater potential mapping in a semi-arid region. Water, 14(6), 882. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14060882

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mesgari, M. S., Pirmoradi, A., & Fallahi, G. R. (2008). Implementation of overlay function based on fuzzy logic in spatial decision support system. World Applied Sciences Journal, 3(1), 60–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Minorsky, V. (1937). Road through Kurdistan: The narrative op an engineer in Iraq. In: A. M. Hamilton (Ed.), pp. 331. London: Faber and Faber, 1937. 12s. 6d. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 9(1), 251–251. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X00071056

  • Mobaraki, O., Abdollahzadeh, M., & Kamelifar, Z. (2014). Site suitability evaluation for ecotourism using GIS and AHP: A case study of Isfahan Townships Iran. Management Science Letters, 4(8), 1893–1898. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.msl.2014.6.038

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mohammad, M. K., Afrasiab, S. R., Al-Zubaidi, A. A., & Abdul-Rassoul, M. S. (2017). Survey for cave animals of Iraqi Kurdistan. Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences, 10(5), 217–232.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mohammed, W. M. (2015). Geographical potentials of tourism planning in Sharbazher District. Master thesis, University of Sulaimani. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.24681.85606

  • Morteza, Z., Reza, F. M., Seddiq, M. M., Sharareh, P., & Jamal, G. (2016). Selection of the optimal tourism site using the ANP and fuzzy TOPSIS in the framework of integrated coastal zone management: A case of Qeshm Island. Ocean & Coastal Management, 130, 179–187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2016.06.012

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nahuelhual, L., Carmona, A., Lozada, P., Jaramillo, A., & Aguayo, M. (2013). Mapping recreation and ecotourism as a cultural ecosystem service: An application at the local level in Southern Chile. Applied Geography, 40, 71–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2012.12.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Najafi, P., Navid, H., Feizizadeh, B., Eskandari, I., & Blaschke, T. (2019). Fuzzy object-based image analysis methods using sentinel-2A and landsat-8 data to map and characterize soil surface residue. RemoteSensing, 11(21), 2583. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs11212583

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nilashi, M., Samad, S., Manaf, A. A., Ahmadi, H., Rashid, T. A., Munshi, A., Almukadi, W., Ibrahim, O., & Ahmed, O. H. (2019). Factors influencing medical tourism adoption in Malaysia: A DEMATEL-Fuzzy TOPSIS approach. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 137, 106005. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cie.2019.106005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Leary, C. A. (2002). The Kurds of Iraq: Recent history, future prospects. Middle East Review of International Affairs, 6(4), 17–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Omarzadeh, D., Pourmoradian, S., Feizizadeh, B., Khallaghi, H., Sharifi, A., & Kamran, K. V. (2021). A GIS-based multiple ecotourism sustainability assessment of West Azerbaijan province, Iran. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2021.1887827

  • Phil, T. M. (2022). Ecotourism: A Sustainable Development Connect to Nature and A Strategy for Balancing Economic Growth. Socio-Cultural Development and Conservation. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93897

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raines, G. L., Sawatzky, D. L., & Bonham-Carter, G. F. (2010). Incorporating expert knowledge: New fuzzy logic tools in ArcGIS 10. ArcUser, 49, 8–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rashid, S. O. (2012). Geographical potentials of tourism planning in sulaimani province, Ph.D. thesis. University of Sulaimani.

  • Saaty, T. L. (1980). The analytic hierarchy processes. McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saaty, T. L. (1996). Decision making with dependence and feedback: The analytic network process (Vol. 4922). RWS publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saaty, T. L. (1999). Basic theory of the analytic hierarchy process: How to make a decision. Revista de la Real Academia de Ciencias Exactas Fisicas y Naturales, 93(4), 395–423.

  • Saaty, T. L. (2003). Decision-making with the AHP: Why is the principal eigenvector necessary. European Journal of Operational Research, 145(1), 85–91.

  • Sahani, N. (2019). Assessment of ecotourism potentiality in GHNPCA, Himachal Pradesh, India, using remote sensing, GIS and MCDA techniques. Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science, 3(2), 623–646. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41685-019-00116-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sánchez López, F. (2022). Measuring the effect of the misery index on international tourist departures: Empirical evidence from Mexico. Economies, 10(4), 81. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-020-00048-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwarzenegger, C., & Lohmeier, C. (2021). Creating opportunities for temporary disconnection: How tourism professionals provide alternatives to being permanently online. Convergence, 27(6), 1631–1647. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2011.06.047

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sevkli, M., Oztekin, A., Uysal, O., Torlak, G., Turkyilmaz, A., & Delen, D. (2012). Development of a fuzzy ANP based SWOT analysis for the airline industry in Turkey. Expert Systems with Applications, 39(1), 14–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shafiq, S. M. (2018). Airports as portrayers of regional character and culture: A case study of Sulaymaniyah Airport (Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati).

  • Shokati, B., & Feizizadeh, B. (2019). Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of agro-ecological modeling for saffron plant cultivation using GIS spatial decision-making methods. Journal of Environmental Planningand Management, 62(3), 517–533. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2018.1427561

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Šiljeg, A., Cavrić, B., Šiljeg, S., Marić, I., & Barada, M. (2019). Land suitability zoning for ecotourism planning and development of Dikgatlhong Dam, Botswana. Geographica Pannonica, 76(2).

  • Sobhani, P., Esmaeilzadeh, H., Sadeghi, S. M. M., Marcu, M. V., & Wolf, I. D. (2022). Evaluating ecotourism sustainability indicators for protected areas in Tehran. Iran. Forests, 13(5), 740. https://doi.org/10.3390/f13050740

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Solecki, R. S. (1957). Shanidar cave. Scientific American, 197(5), 58–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Štrba, Ľ, Kolačkovská, J., Kršák, B., Sidor, C., & Lukáč, M. (2022). Perception of the impacts of tourism by the administrations of protected areas and sustainable tourism (Un) development in Slovakia. Sustainability, 14(11), 6696. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116696

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swangjang, K., & Kornpiphat, P. (2021). Does ecotourism in a Mangrove area at Klong Kone, Thailand, conform to sustainable tourism? A case study using SWOT and DPSIR. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 23(11), 15960–15985. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01313-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Szanto, E. (2018). Mourning Halabja on screen: Or reading Kurdish politics through anfal films. Review of Middle East Studies, 52(1), 135–146. https://doi.org/10.1017/rms.2018.3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thapa, K., King, D., Banhalmi-Zakar, Z., & Diedrich, A. (2022). Nature-based tourism in protected areas: A systematic review of socio-economic benefits and costs to local people. International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504509.2022.2073616

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tian, C., & Peng, J. (2020). An integrated picture fuzzy ANP-TODIM multi-criteria decision-making approach for tourism attraction recommendation. Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 26(2), 331–354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ullah, K. M., & Hafiz, R. (2014). Finding suitable locations for ecotourism development in Cox’s Bazar using geographical information system and analytical hierarchy process. Geocarto International, 29(3), 256–267. https://doi.org/10.1080/10106049.2012.760005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UNWTO (World Tourism Organization). 2019. International Tourism Highlights 2019 Edition.

  • UNWTO Tourism Definitions. (2019). Published by the world tourism organization (UNWTO), Madrid, Spain, ISBN electronic: 978-92-844-2085-8. https://doi.org/10.18111/9789284420858

  • Wang, L. (2022). Sustainable utilization mode of international communication of cultural tourism resources based on the concept of green growth. Mobile Information Systems. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/1938651

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilkinson, J. (1958). Oxford university expedition to Iraqi Kurdistan, 1956. Journal of the Royal Central Asian Society, 45(1), 58–64. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0032247400049688

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yaseen Taha, M. (2018). Political parties and the press in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Ph.D. thesis. University of Lisbon institute of social sciences.

  • Yüksel, İ, & Dagdeviren, M. (2007). Using the analytic network process (ANP) in a SWOT analysis-A case study for a textile firm. Information Sciences, 177(16), 3364–3382. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ins.2007.01.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zadeh, L. A. (1965). Zadeh, fuzzy sets. Inform Control, 8, 338–353. https://doi.org/10.2307/2272014

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zografos, C., & Oglethorpe, D. (2004). Multi-criteria analysis in ecotourism: Using goal programming to explore sustainable solutions. Current Issues in Tourism, 7(1), 20–43. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500408667971

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the reviewers for their help in further improving the paper. Also, we would like to thank all the directors of KRG for their help in providing some data.

Funding

No financial support was provided for this study or for the authors by any institution or organization. The writing of this paper is at the expense of the authors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Remote Sensing and GIS, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran

    Mohammed Watman Mohammed, Bakhtiar Feizizadeh & Abolfazl Ghanbari

  2. Department of Geography, College of Humanities, University of Raparin, Ranya, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq

    Mohammed Watman Mohammed

  3. Department of Geoinformatics (Z_GIS), University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria

    Mohammed Watman Mohammed, Bakhtiar Feizizadeh, Hermann Klug & Thomas Blaschke

Authors
  1. Mohammed Watman Mohammed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Bakhtiar Feizizadeh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hermann Klug
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Abolfazl Ghanbari
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Thomas Blaschke
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mohammed Watman Mohammed.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Mohammed, M.W., Feizizadeh, B., Klug, H. et al. Ecotourism sustainability assessment using geospatial multiple approach in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. GeoJournal 88, 3283–3306 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-022-10807-0

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-022-10807-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation