TEHRAN - Researchers at the University of Tehran have produced Iran’s first national map assessing the vulnerability of tourism destinations to dust pollution, identifying parts of central, eastern and southern Iran as the areas most at risk, the university said on Wednesday.

The study, conducted by researchers from the university’s Faculty of Management, evaluated tourism destinations across the country using spatial multi-criteria decision-making models that combined environmental, infrastructure and tourism data to assess the impact of dust storms at the national level.

The research was led by Hamideh Mahmoudi and Mohammad Karimi Firouzjaei, faculty members in the Department of Tourism Management, together with graduate researchers Saman Nadizadeh Shourabeh, Mohammad Farhadi and Mehdi Rahimi, the university said in a statement on Wednesday.

Mahmoudi said the findings showed that frequent dust storms and declining air quality could affect tourists’ perceptions of destinations, travel demand, length of stay and the likelihood of repeat visits.

“Tourism is one of the country’s most important economic and social sectors, and its sustainability largely depends on environmental quality,” Mahmoudi said. “Assessing the vulnerability of tourism destinations to dust pollution is therefore essential for sustainable tourism planning and management.”

According to the study, about 40% of Iran’s land area falls into high or very high exposure categories for dust pollution. The southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan and the southern provinces of Hormozgan and Bushehr recorded the highest levels of exposure, while the northern provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran and Ardabil had the lowest.

The study also found that tourism vulnerability was unevenly distributed across the country. The provinces of Qom, Sistan- Baluchestan, South Khorasan, Bushehr, Yazd and Isfahan were identified as the most vulnerable tourism regions. More than 60% of Qom province was classified in the very high vulnerability category, Mahmoudi said.

By contrast, the northern and northwestern provinces of Ardabil, Gilan, Mazandaran and Kordestan showed the lowest levels of vulnerability. Mahmoudi attributed this to factors including forest cover, higher rainfall, denser vegetation and greater access to water resources.

The researchers said the study also revealed differences in the exposure of tourism infrastructure. While about 47% of Iran’s natural tourism destinations were located in areas with very low vulnerability, a significant share of accommodation facilities, restaurants, service infrastructure and some religious tourism sites were situated in high-risk areas.

Mahmoudi said the findings highlighted the need to incorporate environmental considerations into tourism planning. She said measures such as dust monitoring and early warning systems, green infrastructure, improved water resource management and greater adaptation capacity could strengthen the resilience of the tourism sector.

The researchers said the framework developed in the study could help authorities identify priority areas, guide investment and support evidence-based policies for tourism development that is resilient to environmental and climate-related hazards.

AM