الراحة الحرارية ومؤشرات الجذب السياحي المناخي في منطقة عسير بالمملكة العربية السعودية

Abstract

This researchaims to investigate the thermal comfort and climate-tourism attraction indicatorsin Assir regionin south western KSA.To achieve this aim, data from three metrological stations were used for a period extends between 1985 and 2014. The results obtained confirm that elevation variation creates a climatic and thermal variability all over thestudy area. In this sense, the areas, which are less than 500 m. elevation, allowfor thermal comfort tothe touristsvisiting in four months (January, February, March, and December) were found as thermal comfort months, whereasthe thermal comfort for tourists visiting geographical areas, located between 500-1000 m,is extendedto sixmonths (from January to June, in addition to November and December). Moreover, In the geographical areas of elevation ranging between 1000 to 1500 m the thermal comfort for the tourists visiting is available for nine months (January to June and October to December). Respectively, the thermal comfort for tourists visiting the highest geographical areas, above 1500mpersists for ten month in the year (excluding December and January).Finally, the study concluded that;it is possible to sustain tourismdue to alternating thermal comfort for tourists in almost all areas of Assir. This, however,indicatesthat Assir is tourism-attractive all the yearround and in almost all of its parts.