Abstract: Ahar County is one of the northern counties in East Azerbaijan, which despite having geosites and vast landscapes, as well as possessing pristine and beautiful areas, has not been able to achieve a worthy position in attracting tourism and developing geotourism. Despite having high tourism potential, it is still in the early stages of tourism industry development. The reason for this issue can be attributed to the lack of facilities, services, and amenities related to tourism, as well as management and supervisory systems. The effectiveness of geotourism in Ahar County depends on the active participation and cooperation of many stakeholders, including local communities and tourism organizations. The aim of this research was to assess the geotourism capabilities of Ahar County using the GAM and M-GAM models. Accordingly, first the geosites of Ahar County were selected, and then based on questionnaires, expert and tourist opinions, field evidence, and library documents, the relevant data and information about the sites were collected and processed.

The results indicate that in the GAM model, the geosites of Fandoghlu Forest Park, Tarkhan Dam, and Noudouz Castle are prioritized with scores of 16.75, 15.87, and 13.87 according to experts, respectively. In the M-GAM model, the geosites of Fandoghlu Forest Park, Setarkhan Dam, and Yuseflu Wetland are prioritized with scores of 16, 15.5, and 12.14 according to tourists, respectively. Additionally, based on the zoning matrix, the scientific-educational, aesthetic, landscape, and conservation values are higher compared to the scientific and tourism values.