Factors Affecting the Lut Desert Tourism in Iran: Developing an Interpretive-Structural Model

The Lut desert is one of the largest and most attractive deserts in Iran. The value of desert tourism remains unclear for Iran’s economy and has only recently been taken into consideration by the authorities, although its true national and international value remains unclear. This study was aimed at investigating the factors that influence tourism development in the Lut desert. Data collected through the purposive sampling method was analyzed using Interpretive Structural Modeling and the MICMAC Analysis. According to the results, cost-effective travel expenses, security, and safety provided in the desert, together with appropriate media advertising and illustration of the Lut desert (branding) are the leading factors that influence tourism in the Lut desert in Iran. This paper highlighted the importance of desert tourism, especially in this region.

On the footsteps of Théodore Monod: biogeographical and ecological implications of an insect assemblage from the hottest spot on earth (in central Lut Desert, SE Iran)

We present the entomological results of a geological and biological exploration in the Lutdesert, performed in 2014 by the Iranian National Institute for Oceanography and AtmosphericSciences (INIOAS) and the University of Tehran. Five localities were sampled, including theone considered as the the hottest spot on Earth. They yielded 15 insect taxa belonging to Blat-todea, Orthoptera, Coleoptera, Heteroptera, suggesting that in spite of being originally de-scribed as “abiotic” or “aphytic”, the Lut desert shelters a diverse insect fauna with someremarkable elements such as the endemic desert cockroache Leiopteroblatta monodi. Compar-ison with results obtained by Franco-Iranian expeditions in the sixties and seventies revealsseveral taxa in common, but also striking differences in the composition of the insect assem-blages, suggesting that the insect fauna in the Lut desert is potentially much more diverse thanpreviously expected.

A statistical approach to estimates of geomorphological-morphotectonic diversity for evaluating the scientific value of geosites: a case study from the southeastern Lut desert, Iran

The present study aims to investigate the diversity index (dv-index) of morphotectonic and geomorphological land-forms as one of the scientific value indices for evaluation of the geotouristic potential of the southeastern Lut desert using topographic statistical analysis. Scientific index scoring in most models is based on descriptive assessment by geotourists and experts. Statistical analysis of the dv-index in the present study helps experts to base their scoring on scientific methods. The dv-index is controlled by several items. In the present study, we analyse two of these, including the classification of topographic continuity pattern (TCP) and topographic slope position correlation (TSPC). For this purpose, a network of section lines is used to analyse slope continuity. The TSPC analysis is performed by using two parameters of absolute value and slope position. Results for these two evaluated items indicate a score of 1.46 (out of 2) for the dv-index. Given a rating of 5, the score obtained for the two items is a high one. Therefore, an initial estimate of the dv-index indicates a significant scientific value of the study area.