احمد پوراحمد

Purpose- During the 21st century, ecotourism has become a mainstream alternative for tourists. It is a critical approach to integrating economic growth with the protection of the environment, ensuring sustainable tourism while at the same time transforming modalities of tourism. The aim of the research is to evaluate the impacts of ecotourism in the southern slopes of the Alborz region by utilizing the DPSIR approach. Design/methodology/approach- The research location is the old settlements from Kan to Darabad that enjoy a large tourism potential with various attractions (natural, human, infrastructural, and physical). The sites enjoy a combination of tourism activities (ecotourism, cultural, sportive, food, and religious). The research is applied research in objective and descriptive-analytical in method. The data has been collected through library research (statistical and documentary) and field research (survey and interviews). Findings - The research population in this study included 30 experts, including experts in field of tourism, professors from universities, officials from the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Organization of Tehran, and officials from various related organizations, selected with the Delphi method. The research tried to evaluate the effects of ecotourism in the southern slopes of Alborz by utilizing the DPSIR approach, which showed that environmental effects at the five-element level -Driving Force, Pressure, State, Impact, and Response- make it possible to undertake a cause-and-effect analysis of environmental pressures from ecotourism. The results of the research identified 10 driving forces, 7 pressure elements, 9 state indicators, and 9 effects. The main response favored policy-making, strategic planning, and management in utilizing natural and human opportunities, capabilities, and resources of the southern slopes of Alborz. The goal is to achieve sustainable development of tourism and the region through nature-based integrated sustainable tourism by converting current challenges and weaknesses into strengths and windows of opportunities. Research limitations/implications - The vast geographical region that is encompassed by the research from Kan to Darabad was prone to numerous limitations, including the non-availability of official data pertaining to the volume of tourists and tourism-based attributes of the research region, non-response of certain tourists to certain questions that were asked during the survey, and time limitations for the completion of the questionnaire. Originality/value - The research employed the use of past research to promote theoretical research discussion and to seek alternative research indicators through the use of scoring with the DPSIR methodology.