Spatial Analysis and Location of Urban Tourism Facility Using Fuzzy Logic (Case study: tourism residences in Isfahan city)

Document Type : Research article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor of Geography and Urban Planning, University of Kashan

2 MA in Urban Planning, University of Kashan, Iran

Abstract

Introduction
The tourism industry, with its unique characteristics, is considered a dynamic industry with a bright future. Investment in this industry is on the rise in all countries with tourist attractions. Nowadays, attracting tourists has become a growing competition among different entities in the tourism industry. In the tourism industry, travel comfort for tourists largely depends on the location of the hotels. Tourists have always regarded the position of hotels as one of the top features in satisfying tourist destinations. Many studies show that the location of hotels can significantly influence the decision making and choice of tourists regarding hotels. Over the past three decades, researchers have been paying more attention to the issue of locating hotels, and this is of great importance because it will satisfy tourists in the long run. Locating hotels requires identifying, evaluating, and ultimately selecting the most appropriate conditions. The number of tourists visiting and staying in a hotel, on the one hand, and the income of the hotels, on the other, depend directly on their location. The optimal location of hotels not only has the infrastructure and services of utilities but also around tourist attractions, such as historical sites, parks, recreational areas, and other tourist sites typically attractive to tourists, located. Isfahan is the third largest metropolitan area of Iran, in terms of optimal location and distribution of hotels and accommodation centers. It is faced with limitations and inadequacies such as inadequate number of hotels and accommodation centers, with the number of tourists arriving to this city. However, in recent years, the city of Isfahan has become the most important brand of the city with its high volume of historical attractions. Due to the location of Isfahan city with population centers, the opportunity of tourist opportunity (northern and southern half of the country) as well as the high volume of tourist entrance to the city, and the variety, and the large number of tourist attractions, the need for tourists' overnight stay is an inevitable necessity. Isfahan tourism resorts, in addition to a shortage of space, do not conform to the pattern of distribution of tourist attractions in the city, and the continuation of this pattern of distribution of tourist resorts, increases public costs, traffic, and air pollution. The time and the efficiency of the tourist centers are reduced, which both disturbs the stay of the guests and the lives of the citizens living in the city. In this study, the optimal spaces are identified by using the capabilities of spatial analysis systems and fuzzy logic in order to determine the location of tourist accommodation centers in Isfahan.
 
Methodology
The research method of this study is descriptive-analytic. Theoretical foundations are based on documentary, library and field studies, and refer to relevant organizations. In this study, geographic information system, IDRISI software and fuzzy logic were used to locate suitable hotels construction sites in Isfahan.
Results and discussion
Analysis of spatial distribution of hotels in Isfahan: The distribution of hotels in the city of Isfahan is clustered.
Weight Line Combination Method: In the present study, the distance from the criteria used in ArcGIS software was transformed into Raster format. Then they converted to the ASCII format to enter the IDRISI software for standardization with fuzzy logic, and perform linear weighting.
Standardization of Layers, Using Fuzzy Logic: In this research, after the layers entered the IDRIS environment, a unit value for the layers was selected for standardization with fuzzy logic. The normal scale for fuzzy logic is between zeros to one or zero to 255, in this research, the zero-to-255 criterion is used, numbers closer to 255 show greater utility. After standardization of each of the criteria, the IDRISI software merged with the MCE menu and the WLC option, constraints maps and benchmark maps. The result of this combination is the final map, in which the proper locations for the construction of new hotels in Isfahan were identified.
Conclusion
The city of Isfahan has 57 hotels and 30 hostels, the statistics show that hotels in Isfahan are not enough for tourists, including tourists. In recent years, authorities in Isfahan have been struggling to resolve the problem by adopting laws and creating facilities. But, according to experts, these actions are not enough; because about 250,000 tourists arrived last year in Isfahan. In this study, suitable locations for the construction of new hotels were identified in Isfahan. Appropriate locations for the construction of new hotels around the Zayanderud River, adjacent to the recreational centers are including Golha gardens, garden Tajrobeh, garden Javan, Najvan and Sofe recreational complex, garden Parandegan, Garden Nour, Najvan Banovan garden, mountains Atashgah and Monar Jonban, and in parts of Isfahan's 3rd district, and in the vicinity of tourist attractions, the Masjed Jameh and bazar, and along with other required criteria. The result of the final combined map shows that more than 3,000 hectares of land in Isfahan have a favorable and very favorable area for the construction of tourist resorts. In the end, the areas with the ability to develop tourism resorts were prioritized by area: Priority 1: South East Isfahan Area with 830 hectares, Second Priority: Historic Area of Isfahan 700 hectare, Third Priority: Recreational Area, Najvan Tourism in Isfahan West, 350 hectares, and Priority 4 Area of Monar-jonban, and Atashgah, with an area of 150 hectares. The results of this study help urban tourism researchers to identify the desirable areas of tourism resorts in order to reduce the weaknesses and problems of these areas. The type of method of this research helps researchers, in spatial analysis and location of tourist resorts, to identify in the first step the patterns of dispersion of these phenomena that are shaped by forms and processes, and in step Subsequent models, according to the ideas and ideas that govern urban planning, are to be distributed, reformed, or consolidated.

Keywords

References

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Geographical Urban Planning Research (GUPR)
Volume 7, Issue 4
January 2020
Pages 763-784

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