Identifying and quantifying ecotourism opportunities are critical processes in sustainable tourism planning, which is challenging, since ecotourism is a Complex Adaptive System (CAS). This study investigated Ecotourism Opportunities Measurements (EOMs) in the literature and mapped the research trends to provide practical implications for research in this area. A systematic quantitative literature review began with a scientometric analysis in CiteSpace to examine the existing knowledge and the state of the art in EOMs. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol was then applied to refine the initial search results, and snowballing was used to collect additional articles. The refined set was then thematically coded and quantitatively analyzed. Our findings show that existing studies on ecotourism opportunities predominantly focus on the impacts of ecotourism on the environment, stakeholders’ contributions toward ecotourism development, sustainability, and responsible behavior of local communities in ecotourism promotion. In addition, five dimensions have been identified under which ecotourism opportunities can be measured, including nature, environmental education/protection, sustainability, socio-cultural benefits, and tourist satisfaction. Existing scales or indices assess potential destinations qualitatively rather than quantitatively. In contrast, an index-based approach might help to solve the challenges of evaluating ecotourism opportunities as a CAS, as well as to quantitatively assess potential destinations to support decision-making related to ecotourism promotion.

This study intends to develop a GIS–AHP integrated framework to identify and analyze potential ecotourism routes between Jeddah and Alula, a corridor rich in ecological and cultural resources in Saudi Arabia. The research employed an integrated GIS and AHP methodology applying four criteria: ecological, cultural, infrastructural, and socio-economic. The AHP provided a systematic method for allocating weights to criteria through expert assessment, while GIS facilitated the spatial analysis, standardization, and integration of diverse information into a unified suitability map. The results reveal considerable regional heterogeneity in ecotourism suitability along the corridor. Highland areas near Alula and Al-Madinah showed high suitability due to the favorable climate, vegetation, and scenic aspects, while arid interior zones were mostly low-suited. The regions surrounding Jeddah, Yanbu, and Alula prospered from significant cultural and infrastructural accessibility. Overall, 21.4% of the land and 19.6% of road parts were categorized as highly appropriate for ecotourism. The integrated model indicates that ecotourism route planning can be enhanced by integrating environmental sensitivity with infrastructural availability. The findings expand the theoretical and practical discussion on spatial decision-making in sustainable tourism, offering a comprehensive, reliable approach for identifying potential ecotourism routes.

Ecotourism is recognised as a sustainable tourism paradigm that harmonises environmental preservation with economic and cultural advantages. This study examines the integration of advanced technologies, particularly Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, and mobile applications, in evaluating and developing Alula's ecotourism opportunities. It employs a mixed-method approach to examine Alula's viability for ecotourism, including essential environmental, topographical, and infrastructural elements, as well as evaluating tourist preferences and stakeholder perspectives on technology adoption. The GIS and remote sensing research determined that Alula's mild temperature (22.5°C), low population density (2.44 individuals/km²), and slope changes (0–27%) render it an appropriate location for ecotourism. Moreover, the prominent visibility of picturesque locations, closeness to historical sites (0–15 km), and accessibility through road infrastructure augment its tourism potential. Water shortage (21 mm annual rainfall) and habitat fragmentation persist as challenges necessitating sustainable management techniques. The mobile application survey indicated a significant preference for real-time navigation, cultural heritage information, and sustainability education functionalities. Stakeholder interviews highlighted the significance of integrating smart technology to enhance visitor management, resource conservation, and tourist planning. This study combines GIS-based suitability analysis with mobile technology uptake to develop a comprehensive framework for smart ecotourism planning in ecotourism destinations. The findings emphasise the need for GIS and remote sensing for land-use optimisation, mobile apps for visitor interaction, and sustainable infrastructure policies. Tourism planners, environmentalists, and lawmakers might learn from the proposed paradigm on sustainable ecotourism and smart tourism in heritage-rich places.

Designing sustainable pedestrian infrastructure in hyper-arid cultural landscapes requires balancing visitor experience, heritage protection, and environmental constraints. This study develops a statistically grounded model for planning sustainable walking trails in Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia, using multi-spectral remote sensing data integrated with expert-based evaluation. A GIS-based Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) framework was applied to assess topographic slope, vegetation cover (NDVI), built-up density (NDBI), Land Surface Temperature (LST), and solar exposure. Indicator weights were validated through a three-round Delphi survey involving fifteen experts. The results indicate strong consensus among experts, identifying LST (21%) and slope (20%) as the most influential determinants of trail suitability in desert environments. These findings highlight the critical role of thermal stress in shaping safe and sustainable pedestrian mobility in hot climates. The optimized 44.5 km trail network, classified into three difficulty levels, improves energetic efficiency by reducing caloric expenditure by 24% compared to conventional routing. In addition, the proposed network has the potential to reduce carbon emissions associated with heritage-related travel by approximately 75% through modal shift from vehicles to walking. The framework provides a practical decision-support tool for planners seeking to develop low-carbon, climate-responsive tourism infrastructure aligned with the objectives of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.

This study evaluates stakeholders’ perceptions of the complexity of ecotourism opportunities and their support for ecotourism development, and then identifies the correlation between perception and support. This study adopts a mixed-method approach combining qualitative and quantitative techniques. In the first phase, in-depth interviews were conducted to explore the complexity of ecotourism opportunity development. In the second phase, a questionnaire survey was used to examine stakeholders’ perceptions and their support for ecotourism development. The results reveal moderate overall perception and support for ecotourism opportunity development among stakeholders. However, a strong positive relationship was identified between stakeholders’ perception of ecotourism complexity and their support for ecotourism initiatives. Regression analysis further indicated that stakeholders’ perception is positively associated with their level of support for ecotourism development. These findings provide practical insights for integrating stakeholder perspectives into conservation strategies and sustainable ecotourism development. This study contributes to conservation-oriented planning by linking stakeholder perception to ecotourism development.

This study investigates the 3D mapping and VR technologies for virtual tourism applications by utilizing Souq Al-Alawi, which is a UNESCO heritage site located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Virtual reality is a technology that has opened up possibilities for low-cost, immersive traveling experiences without being bound by physical locations. This study introduces a holistic 3D virtual model of Souq Al-Alawi that utilizes a combination of close-range photogrammetry methods, image-based modeling (IBM), Geographic Information System (GIS) data, and presentation in the Unreal Engine. This methodology combines a systematic GIS data collection technique with historical record keeping, IBM 3D modeling techniques for facades digitization, as well as VR integration to arrive at an interactive virtual tour experience. In the preprocessing step, distortions in building facades induced by narrow street layouts were evaluated and rectified using advanced IBM techniques aiming to maximize geometric accuracy and visual plausibility. The developed platform produced 41 three-dimensional models and 426 image-based models across three survey zones, with photogrammetric processing achieving RMS reprojection errors of 1.115, 0.554, and 0.55 pixels. The VR environment maintained a consistent rendering performance of 90 frames per second, enabling smooth real-time navigation. The resulting interactive 3D navigational map demonstrates the technical feasibility of integrating photogrammetry, GIS, and VR technologies to support virtual tourism and digital cultural heritage documentation.