Urban tourism is considered as one of the important factors in the cities’ sustainable development, because it focuses on the city development by emphasizing the cities’ resources and capabilities. Urban tourism development, by improving quantitative and qualitative dimensions with maximum returns, is one of the most important activities of the city’s management in the present day. In this regard, this paper tries to explore the concept of urban tourism and its role in urban development by providing a sustainable model for its development in cities. So that cities, using this potent factor, develop into a sustainable development and rely on their abilities. The present study is applied-developmental, and has a descriptive-analytical method. After explaining the role and importance of urban tourism through documentary and library studies, we investigate Lahijan city’s strengths and challenges of the present and the future, and outline the aims and objectives. The methods have been chosen by experts. To this end, the Meta-SWOT model has been used to investigate the issue. Results show that the component of the diversity of recreation and tourism centers in the city has the highest strategic fit, and also, the components of improving the economic situation of the country have the highest influence on the goals set in the sustainable development of tourism in Lahijan. Also, the results indicate that the city of Bandar Anzali is considered to be the main regional rival of the city of Lahijan