Indian Journal of Geo-Marine Sciences Vol. 42(5), September 2013, pp. 635-646
Integrated Coastal Tourism Zone Management (ICTZM) as a basis for sustainable development of the south coastline of the Caspian Sea Masoud Monavari1, Mahsa Hakimi Abed1*, Abdolreza Karbassi2, Parvin Farshchi1; Zahra Abedi1. 1
Department of Environment and Energy, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, P.O. Box: 14155-4933, Iran 2 Graduate Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, Tehran, P.O.Box.14155-6135, Iran * [E-mail:
[email protected]] Received 23 July 2011; revised 13 August 2012 Present study consists an Integrated Coastal Tourism Zone Management (ICTZM) plan regarded simultaneously social, cultural and economical criteria along with spatial planning in terms of environmental capabilities to overcome the various problems., Areas with tourism potentiality owing less environmental vulnerability were identified using Fuzzy and Boolean logics in the environment of IDRISI KILIMANJARO Software. Thereafter a strategic planning for tourism management was presented for the selected zones using SWOT Method. Based on the country’s macro policies for tourism industry, an Integrated Coastal Tourism Zone Management (ICTZM) framework was provided in the form of a conceptual model. Results revealed that the main strategy to implement the sustainable coastal tourism in the study area should be based on a conservative approach and after the improvement in the conditions; the development and construction strategy can be executed in the coastal zone. Keywords: Integrated Coastal Tourism Zone Management, Conceptual model, Sustainable tourism management, Strategic planning
Introduction Development is a complex process influenced by variables which have an algorithm similar to multivariable nonlinear equations and usually are measured and evaluated by purely qualitative criteria such as social welfare, life expectancy, efficiency and other human indices (Logar, 2010; Michael Hall, 2001; Phillips and Jones, 2006; Needham and Szuster, 2011). Unlike the popular non parametric perception that considers the concept of growth and development the same, development is a concept that cannot be achieved using inductive methods whereas, it naturally follows the deductive logic (Davenport and Davenport, 2006). Tourism industry owing a different nature from other economic activities is implemented in an environment formed by different forces (Javier Blancas et al., 2010; Connell et al., 2009; Blancas et al., 2010; Teh and Cabanban, 2007). One of these forces is applied through a complex network of policies, rules, regulations and other measures of the government as well as the executive agencies (Castellani and Sala, 2010; Johnson, 2002; Edwards, 2009; Erkuş-Öztürk and Eraydın, 2010; Gyou Ko, 2005). At international level, tourism depends on communication and cooperation between the
countries according to a complex network of laws, regulations and policies (Klocker Larsen et al., 2011; Sasidharan et al., 2002). At national level, it generally follows the rules governing working conditions including work force vacation and holiday, income levels, social welfare, education etc. (Dolnicar and Leisch, 2008; Gu and Poh Wong, 2008). Organizing the spatial behavior of these two levels of tourism activities and enjoying the socio-cultural, economic, political, technological, environmental benefits of this industry require providing specific models. In this way, guidelines and strategies can be designed with a long-term perspective in order to gain tourism profit as well as the environmental protection (Lim and McAleer, 2005; Puppim de Oliveira, 2003). To achieve the sustainable development and enjoy the benefits of tourism industry, all dimensions and characteristics of such a vast and complex industry must be identified. Despite advances in economic approaches and application of diverse techniques for environmental planning, there are still some concerns about negative impacts of development on the environment led to expression of a new conceptual approach called ‘sustainable development’ (Michalena et al., 2009). The approach has become a new paradigm
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for development in various fields including tourism by the early 21st century onwards. Sustainable coastal tourism refers to a form of tourism attempting to make the lowest impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate future employment for local people in coastal zones (Golusin et al., 2011). Entering the twenty first century, two great forces have been accelerated in tourism. The first motion is a way to accept more responsibility against host society and culture. Such a motion is a result of recognition of the fact that the tourism industry can bring adverse effects to the host society and its environment (Yasarata et al., 2010; Hall and Page, 2009). The second motion is to accept more responsibility from the ones who are traveling which reflects the new patterns of travel in terms of consumption of goods, services, infrastructure and the tourism attractions (Briassoulis, 2002, Sebele, 2010). It is observed that these two motions are gathered to the principles of sustainable tourism. The current study focuses on a new approach in management of the coastlines called Integrated Coastal Tourism Zone Management (ICTZM). It can be applied as an appropriate tool for establishing a sustainable tourism through the south coast of the Caspian Sea. Material and Methods Guilan Province as one of the northern provinces of Iran with an area of 13,952 km2 is extended between latitudes 36° to 38°, 27'N and longitudes 48°,30' to 50°,30' E. Province is northerly bordered on the Caspian Sea. Within the warm seasons of the year, the humidity rate is so high in Guilan nonetheless; the coastlines are much cooler and pleasant so, thousands of domestic and foreign tourists come to the seashore for swimming and camping. Splendid natural scenery, a pleasant climate, lofty mountains covered by thickly forested foothills all makes the area as the main tourism pole of Iran. Coastal line of Guilan has sandy shores and beautiful landscapes therefore it is one of the largest tourism focuses in the north of Iran. Figure 1 demonstrates the situation of the study area in Iran. It is worth noting that to determine the scope of the research 100 m contours were applied i.e. all zones owing an altitude below 100 m through the coastal strip of Guilan consist the scope of the study area highlighted with black color in Fig. 1. Study was carried out through three main steps . (1) Determination the suitable coastal tourism zones to
establish sustainable tourism management (2) Presenting a strategic planning regarding environmental, social and economic aspects (3) Providing managerial strategies to implement an Integrated Coastal Tourism Zone Management (ICTZM). The site selection of the coastal tourism zones Criteria for selecting suitable coastal tourism sites were determined with regard to the relevant international standards. Subsequently, the importance of the considered criteria was calculated based on Delphi Method. After determination of criteria by Delphi group, the applicable criteria were selected and divided in two main categories; factors and constraints (Table 1). As regards, the values in the various input maps have different units of measurement (e.g. distance maps, temperature etc.), in order to compare criteria with each other, all values need to be standardized and transformed to the same unit of measurement (from 0 to 1). In current study the dimensionless of factors were carried out using fuzzy logic (Eq.1) while Boolean Logic was applied for constraint maps (Eastman, 2003).
xI=
( R − R min ) * 255 ( R max − R min )
… (1)
Where; Xi= dimensionless value in positive or increasing state (in 0-255 range) R= initial value R max= maximum value R min= minimum value Weighing and overlying of criteria All factor criteria were weighted using Analytical Hierarchy Process Method. Subsequently, Weighted Linear Combination Method (WLC) was applied to overlay constraints and factors and determine suitable zones for coastal tourism (Eq.2) (Rezakhani and Zaredar, 2011; Zaredar et al., 2010). It ishould be noted that all stages of the site selection process were conducted in IDRISI KELIMANJARO Software. Σwi xi Πcj (2) Where; S= suitability Wi= weight of factor i xi= dimensionless value of factor i cj= constraint map Π= multiply mark
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The strategic planning for the selected coastal tourism zones This section will discuss about the steps and tools needed to develop coastal tourism strategies. The strategic planning of the coastal tourism consists of four steps presented in Table 2. Result and Discussion As it has already been mentioned above, all the selected criteria were weighted by Delphi Group which the obtained results are presented in Table 3.
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At the end of the site selection process, totally, 12 zones were determined as the most suitable areas to establish coastal tourism. Figure 2 demonstrates the distribution of the selected sites thought the coastal strip of Guilan Province. Strategic planning for coastal tourism development This stage covers determination of the vision and mission as well as the goal setting. Sustainable development of Guilan coastline as an equipped independent tourism destination to achieve a major
Table 1—selected criteria for site selection of Coastal tourism zones Criteria
Infrastructure
Sub-Criteria
Sources
Road Accessibility Having electricity power Having Water Supply Having Telephone mobile service Accessibility to Medical Center Accessibility to Airport
Al-Ramadan & Aina, 2004; WTO, 2004; Katiyar & Jain, 2001 Al-Ramadan & Aina, 2004; Katiyar & Jain,2001 Al-Ramadan & Aina, 2004; Katiyar & Jain,2001; WTO, 2004 Al-Ramadan & Aina, 2004; Inskeep, 1991; Katiyar & Jain, 2001 Al-Ramadan & Aina, 2004; Inskeep, 1991; Katiyar & Jain, 2001 Al-Ramadan & Aina, 2004; Inskeep, 1991 Al-Ramadan & Aina, 2004;Tanzania Coastal Management Partnership, 2003; Windupranata, W & Hayatiningsih, I, 2009 Blancas et al, 2010; Inskeep, 1991; WTO; 2004 Blancas et al, 2010; Inskeep, 1991; SVB, 2000; WTO, 2000; WTO, 2001; WTO, 2004 Ariza et al, 2008; PÉREZ O. M. et al, 2003 PÉREZ O. M. et al, 2003 National Marine Sanctuaries, 2006 Ariza et al, 2008; National Marine Sanctuaries, 2006
Accessibility to harbor
Competitiveness and Supply
Socio-economic
Land use /Tourist facilities and service
Having dominant energy of region Having sanitary sewage and waste disposal system Beach length Beach Width Protection of the coastal landscape beauty Construction areas Importance of the coastal destination (local, provincial, regional, national and international) Spatial development possibility of coastal destination Usage possibility of the coastal destination during the year Amount of demand for the coastal destination in the current situation Plan for development of the coastal destination Crowd in coastal destination Security Population Accessibility to restaurant Ratio of increasing in the land price Ratio of increasing in the inflation Accessibility to tourist accommodations Accessibility to financial services Accessibility to tourist information centers Settlement Closeness to industrial area Closeness to tourist area
Blancas et al, 2010; WTO, 1996; WTO, 2004 Ariza et al, 2008; PÉREZ O. M. et al, 2003 WTO, 2001; WTO, 2004 Blancas et al, 2010; WTO, 1996 ; WTO, 2004 WTO, 1996; WTO, 2004 Blancas et al, 2010; WTO, 1996; WTO, 2004 Al-Ramadan & Aina, 2004; Blancas et al, 2010 Ariza et al, 2008; PÉREZ O. M. et al, 2003 Al-Ramadan & Aina, 2004; Katiyar & Jain,2001 Inskeep, 1991 Inskeep, 1991 Ariza et al, 2008 Inskeep, 1991 Inskeep, 1991 Al-Ramadan & Aina, 2004; Katiyar & Jain, 2001 Al-Ramadan & Aina, 2004; Tanzania Coastal Management Partnership, 2003; Windupranata, W & Hayatiningsih, I, 2009 Katiyar & Jain, 2001
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Fig. 1—The situation of the study area in Iran Table 2—Strategic planning stages for sustainable coastal tourism management in Guilan Stage
Activity type
Zero point (start)
•
Input stage
• • •
Comparison Decision making
• • • •
Determination of the vision and mission goal setting Internal Factor examination and formation of IFE Matrix with coefficients and rankings External Factor examination and formation of EFE Matrix with coefficients and rankings Formation of SWOT Matrix Formation of IE Matrix Formulating the main strategic nature of the selected coastal zones based on IE Matrix Prioritization of the extracted strategies based on QSPM Matrix
share of the tourism market in the province and even the country along with providing sustainability of the coastal environment include the prospects of the strategic planning. Based on the method employed in this study (Delphi), the scoring results of the experts were calculated in the form of 8 external factors and 7 internal parameters based on a proportion of one. Considering the obtained results, the determined
coastal tourism zones are faced with 24 opportunities and 14 threats in the external environment. The most important opportunity is the market growth while the most important threats are entry of new competitors and offering alternative products. Therefore, these factors should be carefully examined in the coastal zones periodically. Table 4 gives the External Factor Evaluation Matrix (EFEM) for the coastal tourism zones. Every tourism destination in its own scope has some strengths and weaknesses. Factors considered as strengths which have a competitive advantage or distinctive competence for example ability of performance of a specific activity better than the other rival coastal tourist zones. Likewise, weaknesses are those factors that are poorly performed in a coastal zoon or there is no performance possibility for them in a specific tourist zone. The purpose of formulating strategies in a tourist destination is that the zone will be able to use its strengths to eliminate the existing weaknesses. Table 5 shows the Internal Factor Evaluation Matrix (IFEM) for coastal tourism zones in Guilan. Internal Factor Evaluation Matrix (IFEM) for coastal tourism zones in Guilan As can be seen in Table 5, the selected coastal zones face with 16 strengths and 30 weaknesses in the internal environment. Main strengths include
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Table 3—The relative weights of main and sub criteria derived from pair wise comparisons Main Criteria
Infrastructure
Competitiveness and Supply
Socioeconomic
Land use / Tourist facilities and service
Sub criteria
weight
Road accessibility Having electricity power Having water supply Having telephone and mobile services Accessibility to medical Centers Accessibility to airport Accessibility to harbor Having dominant energy of the region Having sanitary sewage and waste disposal system Total Beach length Beach width Protection of the coastal landscape beauty Construction areas Importance of the coastal destination (local, provincial, regional, national and international) Spatial development possibility of coastal destination Usage possibility of the coastal destination during the year Demand volume for the coastal destination in the current situation Plan for development of the coastal destination Total Crowd in coastal destination Security Population Ratio of increasing in the land price Ratio of increasing in inflation Total Accessibility to tourist accommodations Accessibility to restaurants Accessibility to financial services Accessibility to tourist information centers Settlement Closeness to industrial areas Closeness to tourist areas Total
0.0094 0.0049 0.0138 0.0048 0.0169 0.0021 0.0015 0.0036 0.0295 0.0865 0.0180 0.0175 0.1284 0.0475
Total
littoral zone attractions, terrestrial accessibility, power supply, management of water pollution and waste water disposal. Meanwhile, the main weaknesses are observed in the financial situation of the coastal zones, specialized knowledge of the managers and marketing staff, determination of the target markets and marketing goals. Therefore, the mentioned factors must be evaluated in the coastal zones periodically. The next step in formulation of tourism strategies in the coastal zones is determination of acceptable strategies. It is obvious that the appropriateness of a
Consistency ratio
0.07
0.1253 0.0392 0.0802
0.06
0.0746 0.0237 0.5544 0.0206 0.0892 0.0115 0.0571 0.0591 0.2375 0.0157 0.0094 0.0033 0.0060 0.0035 0.0483 0.0354 0.1216 1
0.04
0.06
0.08
strategy depends on proficiency of the coastal zone in taking advantage of the strengths and opportunities to overcome the weaknesses and threats. SWOT Matrix The purpose of this step is not identification of the best strategy for tourism in the coastal zones but determination of all applicable strategies. In this part, due to avoid data repetition, the SWOT Matrix is not presented. Information of SWOT Matrix was examined by Delphi group members and finally
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Fig. 2—The selected sites thought the coastal strip of Guilan Province
four strategies were presented by them: aggressive strategies (SO), conservative strategies (WO), competitive strategies (ST) and defensive strategies (WT). Recommended aggressive strategies (SO) • • • • • •
Emphasis on international tourism Usage of the existing financial resources and increase the investment in site Tourism development using new business models Development of e-tourism using new technologies Diversification in tourism facilities and services in order to benefit from resources and tourist attractions throughout the year The use of multiple scenarios in the development of tourism sites
Proposed competitive strategies (ST) • The use of differentiated strategies and cost leadership in tourism services • Development of tourism based on the relative and competitive advantages of tourism sector • Emphasis on domestic tourism • Application of appropriate systems for survey of tourists • In-service training courses for staff
• •
Applying an appropriate performance evaluation system for employees Holding specialized workshops for improvement of employees and managers’ abilities and skills
Recommended conservative strategies (WO) • Ecotourism development using natural potentialities • Guidance and support of investment in coastal tourism development • Improvement and development of tourist facilities and services • The use of indigenous forces in providing services to tourists • Planning for recruiting of professional working forces • Creation of administrative and managerial organization or Management Center Site • Promote the use of information services to tourists using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) • strengthen the marketing department in order to implement appropriate marketing policies Proposed defensive strategies (WT) • Establishing proper communication with adjacent destinations to establish strategic agreement
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Table 4—External Factor Evaluation Matrix (EFEM) for coastal tourism zones in Guilan No.
Factors
Importance Rank Coefficient
Score
Opportunities
• •
1
Market Segments Growing
0.04
4
0.170
• •
2 3 4
Cultural Resources Consumerism Physical environment (air, water, soil, etc.) Natural Environment (aquatic and terrestrial life) Software Development Information technology development Communication Development R & D (Research and Development) The size of the market Increase in tourist spending Economic growth Increase in leisure time Attitudes Financial resources Natural Resources The amount of demand Interest rate cuts Bargaining power of suppliers of raw materials Production Technology
0.03 0.02 0.07
3.5 3.5 3.5
0.100 0.060 0.252
•
0.09
3.5
0.308
0.02 0.02
3.5 3.5
0.060 0.060
0.02 0.02
3.5 3.5
0.060 0.070
0.04 0.03 0.03 0.02 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.02 0.02
3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3 3 3 3 3 3
0.150 0.090 0.090 0.060 0.040 0.066 0.086 0.110 0.060 0.050
0.01
3
0.040
0.01 0.01 0.01
3 3 3
0.040 0.040 0.030
0.01
3
0.040
0.01 0.03 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.03 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.03 0.03
2.5 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1.5 1.5
0.030 0.060 0.040 0.060 0.080 060.0 0.030 0.050 0.030 0.050 0.040
0.04 0.03 0.03 1.00
1.5 0.050 1 0.030 1 0.030 104 Total
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Lifestyle Age structure3 Increase in entrepreneurship Values Treats
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Income Distribution Human Resources Investment expenditure Rules and regulations Political stability Change of government Increase in tax rate Inflation rate increase Increasing unemployment Bargaining power of tourist Intensity of rivalry among competitors Governmental policies Entry of new competitors Alternative product offerings
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Support for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) to develop coastal tourism The use of focus strategy (focusing on product and market) in the field of the coastal tourism development Emphasis on inter-provincial tourism Applying the policy of outsourcing a part of the site activities Application of professional services offering by consulting companies and specializing in the field of planning and management
Internal and External Matrix (IE) In this study, coastal zone tourism strategies were determined based on Internal and External (IE) Matrix. It is composed of two axes that one of them is the final score obtained from IFE Matrix and the other is the score of the EFE Matrix. This matrix is formed of three areas including development and construction (I, II, IV), maintenance (III, V, VII), and removal or release (VI, VIII, IX) (Fig. 3). As can be seen in Fig. 3, the situation of the coastal tourism in the V section has coordinate scores equal to 2.77 and 2.30 for external and internal factors respectively. Thereby, the extracted strategy is conservative or maintenance. As it is evident from the figure, the situation of the coastal tourism zone is close to the development and construction section, thus, the main strategy should be conservative and after the improvement in the conditions, development and construction strategy can be implemented in the coastal zones. Decision making stage At this stage, a comparison was done between data obtained from the matrices; SWOT and IE. The SWOT Matrix presents four strategies regarding the internal and external conditions while based on IE Matrix it was determined that the maintenance and conservative strategies are highly suited to establish a sustainable management of coastal tourism. Thereby, the maintenance strategies specified by SWOT Matrix were selected. The strategies are listed below: • WO1: Ecotourism development using natural potentialities • WO2: Guidance and support of investment in coastal tourism development • WO3: Improvement and development of tourism facilities and services • WO4: The use of indigenous forces in providing services to tourists
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Table 5—Internal Factor Evaluation Matrix (IFEM) for coastal tourism zones in Guilan No.
Factors
Importance Coefficient
Rank
0.053 0.053 0.035 0.028 0.025 0.045 0.02 0.01 0.02 0.031 0.021 0.025 0.023 0.008 0.011 0.044 0.016 0.023 0.014 0.025 0.022 0.016 0.014 0.018 0.008 0.011 0.016 0.011 0.033 0.035 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.01 0.022 0.022 0.025 0.015 0.017 0.011 0.014 0.012 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.039 1
4 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Score
Strength factors 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46
Beach Zone Attractions The attractions of the shore zone area Terrestrial accessibility Electricity Supply Water pollution and sewage disposal Management The attractions of the coastal aquatic area Beverage and reception centers Shopping Facilities and Services Safety and Security of Facilities and Services Water supply Telecommunications Sewage and waste disposal systems Management of solid waste disposal The average age of employees Fraud and corruption among staff Investment growth in the coastal zones Water supply management air / noise pollution Management Management of physical development of the zones Aquatic and marine resources management Socio-cultural impact management Tourism demand management Management of Facilities and equipment in the zone Pricing situation Private sale The status of the Public Relations Ability and skill level of the experienced forces The number of skilled workforce (shortage) Managers familiar with the financial rules and regulations Allocating funds to different parts of the coastal zone Accommodation units Tourist information services Banking Services Electronic and Internet Services Marketing objectives Determination of the target markets Specialized knowledge of the managers and marketing staff Advertising situation The governance of the Customer-oriented view Recruitment of university educated forces Training situation of manpower The situation of the welfare and motivational activities Employees’ performance evaluation system The ability to maintain effective forces Selection and recruitment process The financial situation of the coastal zone -
0.21 0.18 0.12 0.10 0.09 0.14 0.06 0.04 0.06 0.09 0.06 0.08 0.07 0.025 0.032 0.131 0.03 0.05 0.03 0.05 0.04 0.03 0.03 0.036 0.017 0.022 0.031 0.022 0.066 0.069 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.01 0.022 0.022 0.025 0.015 0.017 0.011 0.014 0.012 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.039 Total 2.30
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• •
WO5: Planning for recruiting professional working forces WO6: Creation of administrative and managerial organization or Site Management Centre
• •
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WO7: Promoting information services to tourists with information and communication technologies (ICT) WO8: strengthening the marketing department in order to implement appropriate marketing policies
Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM) Using the QSPM Technique the relative attractiveness of the selected strategies determined in the previous stage (conservative strategy) was specified as follows: WO2> WO1> WO3> WO8> WO7> WO6> WO5> WO4
Fig.3—Internal and External (IE) Matrix of coastal tourism of Guilan
The strategic model of sustainable coastal tourism development through the coastal strip of Guilan Presenting a methodological framework for an ideal plan and structure to achieve the development of the coastal tourism is considered a basic planning measure in order to reach an operating-executive program with a comprehensive, strategic approach. Methodological framework taking into account factors influencing the strategic- operational- structural plan, is evaluated the coastal zones regarding the spatial advantages and introduced the top priority places as the output. A major difference between this framework
Fig. 4—The conceptual model for implementation of Integrated Coastal Tourism Zone Management (ICTZM) through the coastal strip of Guilan a
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and common methodologies for development planning is mainly based on qualitative analysis of factors affecting the location and activity. Current study, to achieve a comprehensive plan regarded the overall dimensions of the coasts of the Caspian Sea in the country, mobilized and managed resources in line with the legal mechanisms and the spatial planning. It also considered operational and administrative aspects in the form of a conceptual model (Fig. 4). Presented model was designed after exploring diverse aspects of the tourism development issue. Initially, the system examined the current situation in various aspects. Subsequently, by means of SWOT Analysis which is a qualitative strategic analysis as well as SWAT applied for soil and water resources assessment, the collected data was analyzed and provided a context for strategic planning. After the strategic planning identified the goals, policies, mission, and macro strategies of the coastal tourism development, the overall development of the coastal tourism was determined and then, the structural and operational plans were adjusted based on the development plan. Fig. 4 illustrates the conceptual model for implementation of Integrated Coastal Tourism Zone Management (ICTZM) through the coastal strip of Guilan. Conclusion Based on the obtained results as well as the presented conceptual model the proposed strategies can be categorized as follows: Organizational strategies for coastal tourism development In this regard strategies including coordination between different levels; national, provincial and local, regular monitoring of the progress of coastal tourism development regarding targets and indicators for sustainable tourism development, development of quality standards for coastal tourism, marketing, information dissemination, Public Relations for Research & Development (PR&D) in coastal tourism destinations, development of a Regional Tourism Portal for the Caspian Sea coast, establish a formal relationship between the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization and the private sector so that the organization has an advisory role in this connection can be mentioned. In the meanwhile, encourage the private sector in order to formation of Coastal Tourism Association and invite owners or operators of coastal tourism facilities and services as
members of the association would be so helpful. Moreover, establish a strong relation with financial institutions to support these institutions to finance programs for coastal tourism development, the supplemental funding from the provincial and national financial resources to implement elements of coastal tourism development, developing and providing training programs for employees of coastal tourism sector to increase their technical skills are among the most effective organizational strategies for sustainable coastal tourism development. Strategies to protect environmental resources and tourism The coastal zoning, preparation of action plan for notification and participation of target groups using cooperation of non-governmental organizations, classification and land use planning in the bank, legislation for coastal buffer zones enjoy grate significance to protect environmental resources along with development of tourism industry. Accordingly, appropriate administrative mechanisms are necessary for implementing land use regulations. Protection of coastal resources and coexistence rather than confrontation with the Caspian Sea water level fluctuations, development of ecotourism products in the scope and extent of the protection of environmental resources, attention to maintain access to the coastline and sea during the development, applying economic mechanisms to protect resources and application of macro and micro-management mechanisms in management of environmental resources are strategies required high attention. Notification and public participation in conservation of resource Formation of special section for public participation in Regional Council, identification of target groups and NGOs and preparation an action plan for notification and participation of target groups using cooperation of non-governmental organizations should be highly regarded in attraction of public participation in conservation of resources. Strategies for sustainable development pattern Among the possible strategies for sustainable tourism development pattern compliance the obligation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) process, stabilization of degradation trend of the environment and natural resources and prevent further damages and more loss of stability criteria
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in the study area, physical intervention on the basis of sustainable development indicators as well as sustainability of tourism carrying capacity can be mentioned. However, ensuring that tourism develops in a sustainable manner in the Caspian Sea would entail that management structures involving with tourism follow the same pattern of sustainability as outlined above. Only through the responsible involvement of all key stakeholders within tourism development as well as the international cooperation, may this concept be achieved.
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