Spatial Suitability for Winter Tourism in Sulaymaniyah Governorate and ways to develop it Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Abstract

This research was prepared for a specific type of tourism, namely winter tourism in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was used in it to determine the best suitable places Winter tourism, known as spatial suitability. Sulaymaniyah Governorate is located within the southern regions. From the northern temperate regions of the Earth (central latitudes), the governorate is located east of the Kurdistan Region and the northeast of Iraq. It is bordered to the east and northeast by the Islamic Republic of Iran, to the northwest by Erbil Governorate, and to the south and southwest by Diyala Governorate and Kirkuk Governorate. The research aims to identify the winter tourism potential of Sulaymaniyah Governorate in attracting the largest number of tourists, determine the spatial suitability for winter tourism in the governorate, and introduce tourists to those areas, specifically tourists coming from central Iraq and its south, with the possibility of providing new and comprehensive information about the winter tourism situation in it to serve as an information base and scientific reference for decision-makers. In light of the objectives sought in the research, the research was divided into three main axes: the first axis is about the natural components affecting winter tourism in Sulaymaniyah Governorate. The second axis is about the spatial suitability for winter tourism based on the weights of the influencing factors. As for the third axis, it is about how to develop winter tourism in the study area according to the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) program. Accordingly, the research is produced with a set of necessary conclusions, the most important of which is that according to the (AHP) model, five regions were divided according to their suitability, so that about 38% of the area of Sulaymaniyah Governorate is suitable for winter tourism activities during snowfall.