Tourist

Open Access Article

1 - Typology of Cultural Tourism Action (Case Study: Mashhad pilgrims and tourists)
Sahar Eghbali Mozhgan Azimi Hashemi Hamed Bakhshi

10.52547/journalitor.35131.3.6.1

This study analyzes different types of cultural tourism action and its influencing factors among the pilgrims and tourists in Mashhad. The authors’ theoretical approach is a combination of motivation, attitude and Bourdieu’s capital theory.In this research required data More

This study analyzes different types of cultural tourism action and its influencing factors among the pilgrims and tourists in Mashhad. The authors’ theoretical approach is a combination of motivation, attitude and Bourdieu’s capital theory.In this research required data were collected by means of a questionnaire with the sample size of 302, pilgrims and tourists, in Mashhad during March 2013(Iranian New Year holidays). Based on the research findings, the cultural tourists are divided into three categories: “specific cultural tourists” including tourists whose traveling aim is visiting cultural destination, “general cultural tourists” including tourists that during their travels, they will visit cultural destinations as well and “incidental cultural tourists” including tourists that accidentally and unknowingly will visit cultural destinations. Also, the results indicated that facilities will affect both attitudes and motivations toward cultural travel. Coefficient of determination model showed that the entered variables explain 45 % of the dependent variable variations (cultural travel action) and education level have the greatest effect on the variable of cultural travel action. Regarding the results, there are appropriate potential in order to promote cultural tourism, which will help tourists to gain more experiences while visiting cultural attractions and /or taking part in cultural events. Furthermore, it seems educated people are the main participants of this type of tourism. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

2 - Prioritizing Tourist Attractions in Yazd from the perspective of Asian and European tourists
Mojtaba Mahmoodzadeh

Although Yazd has a variety of cultural and natural attractions, but the importance of each of these from the perspective of foreign tourists is not entirely clear. The aim of this study is to identify and classify tourist attractions in Yazd and prioritizing them from More

Although Yazd has a variety of cultural and natural attractions, but the importance of each of these from the perspective of foreign tourists is not entirely clear. The aim of this study is to identify and classify tourist attractions in Yazd and prioritizing them from the perspective of experts and Asian and European tourists. To realize the objectives, first with the help of desk research, tourist attractions in Yazd were divided into two main categories and sub-categories, then in order to prioritize the main tourist attractions from the perspective of experts, fuzzy EHP technique was used. Also to prioritize sub-categories of each of the main attractions from the perspective of Asian and European tourists by the survey, a questionnaire was designed. Sample size of this study consists of 111 Asian tourists and 103 European tourists who had traveled to Yazd in 2014. To prioritize the views of European and Asian tourists, VIKOR fuzzy technique was used. The results showed that tourism experts in Yazd, has divided the main tourist attractions in order of preference to the five main categories (1. Cultural attractions / man-made created with a purpose other than to attract tourists, 2. Intangible cultural attractions, 3. Cultural attractions / man-made created with the primary purpose of attracting tourists, 4. Natural attractions 5. Events) with 15 sub-categories. Accordingly attractions' prioritization was investigated from the perspective of Asian and European tourists and no significant difference was observed. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

3 - Tourists’ Motivations for Traveling to Isfahan: A Comparative Study Concerning Both Genders
Mohammad

This study aims to identify and compare domestic tourists’ motives of travelling to Isfahan between men and women. The population of this research was domestic tourists who had traveled to Isfahan during April and May 2016, which among them a sample of 400 tourists was More

This study aims to identify and compare domestic tourists’ motives of travelling to Isfahan between men and women. The population of this research was domestic tourists who had traveled to Isfahan during April and May 2016, which among them a sample of 400 tourists was randomly selected. The data was collected by a questionnaire consists of 40 questions. To analyze the data, exploratory factor analysis and independent t-test were used. The results revealed nine travel motives for domestic tourists; historical and cultural motives, visiting relatives and friends, shopping, accompanying family and friends, recreation and having fun, low-cost trip, city attractions, enjoying a safe travel, and work motivation. The results also showed that there was a significant difference between men and women in terms of historical and cultural motives, recreation and having fun, shopping, accompanying family and friends, domestic attractions, and enjoying a safe travel. The results also demonstrated that there was no significant difference between women and men in terms of enjoying a safe travel, visiting relatives and friends, and work motivation. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

4 - Geniality, Deception, and Profiteering: the pilgrims’ perception of retail stores in Mashhad

Mashhad is one of the largest religious tourism markets in Iran and in the Muslim world. Sustainable development of this market is dependent on mutual satisfaction of service providers and tourists as customers. One of the important sectors of tourism services is shoppi More

Mashhad is one of the largest religious tourism markets in Iran and in the Muslim world. Sustainable development of this market is dependent on mutual satisfaction of service providers and tourists as customers. One of the important sectors of tourism services is shopping and souvenirs, which is mainly provided by retailers. Therefore, this paper tries to identify the tourists’ perceptions of these retailers in Mashhad. In the field of customer satisfaction, customer perception of service provider- customer interaction, is one of the dimensions of service qualities which determine tourists’ shopping experience. For data collection, a random number of 410 pilgrims who have visited the holy shrine of Imam Reza were asked to describe retailers in Mashhad. Collected data was analyzed by quantitative and qualitative content analysis method, pilgrims’ answers were categorized and then the frequency of each category was calculated. The results revealed that three categories of Profiteering, Deception, and Geniality, respectively include 40.7, 36.3, and 27.1 percent of the responses, which are the highest frequencies among the traits attributed to retailers. This could mean that pilgrims’ image of retailers is a person who uses deception and geniality strategies for his profiteering goals. It seems that temporal characteristic of tourist-buyers, as well as tourists’ insists for discounting, lead retailers to "flexible deception" strategies which more guarantee their interests. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

5 - Exploring the Souvenir purchasing behaviour (Case study: Mashhad Pilgrims)

Souvenir purchasing is not only a memento of travel experience, but also a tourist attraction. Furthermore, souvenir shopping is an integral component of one’s travel experience which has a significant proportion of overall travel expenditure in tourism industry turnove More

Souvenir purchasing is not only a memento of travel experience, but also a tourist attraction. Furthermore, souvenir shopping is an integral component of one’s travel experience which has a significant proportion of overall travel expenditure in tourism industry turnover. As a result, market identification is of critical importance to producers, marketers, wholesaler and retailers. However, regarding the souvenir purchasing behaviour not much research has been conducted and this subject is still under study in Iran. With a great number of tourist arrivals and various types of souvenir, Mashhad has a great potential to be considered as a case study. So, the aim of this paper is to explore; what will pilgrims buy and what factors will drive their purchasing behaviour? Accordingly, secondary data analysis has been conducted on the gathered data from Mashhad pilgrims 2010 and 2011 survey. Based on the pilgrims' dominant purchasing choices, four different behaviour was identified: purchasing of cultural symbols, purchasing of local foods, mixed purchasing behaviour of clothes, accessories and cultural signs, and non-purchase behaviour. The most common observed, purchasing behaviour was "mixed purchasing behaviour of clothes, accessories and cultural signs". In addition, the logistic regression test showed that purchasing behaviour was determined by age, place of residence (city), tourist's dominant behaviour in travel (pilgrimage), travel style (travelling in a group or alone) and frequency of travel. Those variables predicted 23% of variance of souvenir purchasing behaviour. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

6 - The effect of tourists’ self-concept on satisfaction and their intention to recommend the tourist destination )Case study: Mashhad, Chalidarreh Dam(

Individual self-concept explains and predicts different facets of consumer behavior. This study examined the effects of tourist self-concept on their intention to recommend destination, travel satisfaction and travel experience. The population of this study includes all More

Individual self-concept explains and predicts different facets of consumer behavior. This study examined the effects of tourist self-concept on their intention to recommend destination, travel satisfaction and travel experience. The population of this study includes all tourists who were visiting Chalidarreh dam, among them 308 was selected randomly as the research sample. The data were collected by means of a questionnaire and were analyzed by structural equation modeling and LISREL software. The results show, the perception of travel experience, facilitates the relationship between ideal self-concept and travel satisfaction of tourists. Also the travel satisfaction, facilitates the relationship between perceived experience of travel and the intention to recommend tourist destination. The results of this study can improve the perception of managers which will provide a better understanding of tourist behavior and policy making in the field of tourism marketing. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

7 - Investigating Social Relations between Eco-Tourists and Local People of Hormoz Island
Elham Nasrabadi حنانه محمدی کنگرانی Mehdi Mirzadeh Kohshahi

Ecotourism creates special opportunities to identify a wonderful aspect of nature, provides new information for tourists, and improves the living conditions of the host society. Since the Hormuz Island has a great capability in ecotourism, it can attract a large number More

Ecotourism creates special opportunities to identify a wonderful aspect of nature, provides new information for tourists, and improves the living conditions of the host society. Since the Hormuz Island has a great capability in ecotourism, it can attract a large number of eco-tourists. Identifying and analyzing the friendly networks between eco-tourists and local people of Hormuz Island are the main aims of this study to investigate such relationship and their social effects. Upon conducting interviews and completing questionnaires by selected people, the collected data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, network’s analysis, and Visone’s software. Investigating the social relations between eco-tourists and local people showed that the formation of an informal friendly relationship and cooperation between the inhabitants and eco-tourists of Hormuz Island positively influenced ecotourism. Created social networks helped ecotourism continue in Hormuz Island and would have desirable economic and environmental effects for local people and Hormuz Island. This can have positive consequences such as increasing ecotourism development, sustainable ecotourism, and better ecotourism recognition for Hormuz Island inside and outside of Iran. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

8 - Social Capital and Loyalty of Pilgrims from Isfahan to Sarshur Neighborhood in Mashhad
neda eidgahian kaseb Mozhgan Azimi Hashemi

A tourist behavior in the destination forms as a meaningful behavior in the form of a social action, of which relationship with others is the most important element. Through the description and analysis of the type and frequency of tourist relationships, and social capi More

A tourist behavior in the destination forms as a meaningful behavior in the form of a social action, of which relationship with others is the most important element. Through the description and analysis of the type and frequency of tourist relationships, and social capital resulting from them, one can predict a tourist behavior, attachment, and loyalty to the destination. This study examined the effect of the relationship network among pilgrims from Isfahan in the host community on their loyalty to Sarshur neighborhood in Mashhad. This research followed the survey method. In 2016, 150 pilgrims from Isfahan were selected during the day of Arbaeen and the week following it. Results showed that the average size of the relationship network of Isfahan pilgrims in Sarshur neighborhood was 2.11 People (range: 0 to 9). The average of the general index of Isfahan pilgrims’ attachment to Sarshur neighborhood was 4.31 (range: 3.06 to 5) and the loyalty index was 4.43 (range: 1 to 5). The results of the model of structural equations by AMOS software showed that two causal ways used in this model can explain 80% of the loyalty variance of Isfahan pilgrims. The social capital of the relationship network among Isfahan pilgrims in this neighborhood increased their attachment. This attachment (through increased satisfaction) caused an increase in tourists’ loyalty. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

9 - The Mediating Role of Travel Motivation and Responsible Behavior with the Relationship between Environmental Attitude and the Sustainable Development of Ecotourism Case: Cities of Mahdishar and Semnan
samaneh parsa سید حسن کابلی sakineh jafari

This study examined the relationship between environmental attitude and sustainable development of ecotourism, and the mediating role of travel motivation and environmentally responsible behavior of ecotourists in Mahdishahr and Semnan. The population included all ecoto More

This study examined the relationship between environmental attitude and sustainable development of ecotourism, and the mediating role of travel motivation and environmentally responsible behavior of ecotourists in Mahdishahr and Semnan. The population included all ecotourists in Mahdishar and Semnan. The participants were 250 (122 males and 128 females) and were selected via a Convenience Sampling method. All participants completed the scales of environmental attitude, motivation, environmentally responsible behavior and sustainable development of ecotourism. Using LISREL, the data were analyzed by the path analysis model. The results showed that environmental attitude did not have a direct influence on the sustainable development of ecotourism. Environmental attitude had a direct, positive and significant influence on travel motivation and environmentally responsible behavior. Environmental attitude had an indirect, positive and significant impact on sustainable development of ecotourism with the mediating role of travel motivation and environmentally responsible behavior. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

10 - Ethnographic Study of the Tourists' Motivation for Recreational Trip to Mazandaran Province Through the Lens of Rite of Passage Theory
Zohreh Korani Fatemeh Sam

10.52547/journalitor.35691.11.21.227

Considering the relationship between tourists' motivations and the type of their trip, a clear and logical perception of the process could be of great significance. Therefore, this study sought to analyze the tourists’ motivations for traveling to the coastal cities of More

Considering the relationship between tourists' motivations and the type of their trip, a clear and logical perception of the process could be of great significance. Therefore, this study sought to analyze the tourists’ motivations for traveling to the coastal cities of Mazandaran province, taking a distinct anthropological perspective by highlighting the concepts of leisure trips. As ethnography is the main method used by anthropologists to discover the elements existing in a field, this study used a qualitative method with an emphasis on ethnography. Primary data were collected through participant observation and semi-structured in-depth interviews. To this end, 16 tourists who had visited the three coastal cities of Mahmoud Abad, Fereydoonknar, and Babolsar were selected via purposive sampling. The collected data were then analyzed using a three-stage coding system. In this regard, first, three categories, including "a place with a different structure", "in search of novel experiences", and "suspension" were identified. Finally, after performing the selective coding, the core category of "rites of passage" was extracted. According to the study’s results, it appears that the tourists who travel to the cities mentioned above for recreational purposes experience a mixed feeling of suspension and freedom from the requirements and responsibilities of daily life during the trip, which could be considered similar to the second phase of the theory of rites of passage. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

11 - Relational Disruptions in Host-Tourist Interactions and Its Social Predictors (A case study in Mashhad)
Arash Ghahreman Sareh Nematian

This study investigated the disruptions of social relations among the tourists and the host. The statistical population included 676 citizens and domestic tourists, each a group of 338. A sample method, proportionate with the volume, was used to select the tourists. Clu More

This study investigated the disruptions of social relations among the tourists and the host. The statistical population included 676 citizens and domestic tourists, each a group of 338. A sample method, proportionate with the volume, was used to select the tourists. Cluster sampling was used to select citizens. To explain the main variable, we used regression and path analysis. To study the model based on the relationship between predictive variables and research structures and to determine the share of the weight of its construct dimensions, the study used structural equation modeling. SEM was also used to test the model, which had some variables with different influences. The results showed that in tourist-host social relations, the maximum was the intensity dimension, 44.17 (100-0), and the minimum was the symmetry dimension, 35.37 (100-0). In host-tourist relations, the highest mean was the dimensional relationship, and the lowest was the density dimension. In tourist-host relations, the results showed that 58.8% were very disturbed, 23.4% were in average disorder, and 17.7% were in a low and a very low disability. In the host-tourist relations, 86.7% were very disturbed, 8.3% were in average disorder, and 5% were in a low and a very low disability. Based on the results, a comprehensive program needed to develop for social trust and to promote its strategies. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

12 - The Effects of Interactional Experience of Tourists on Their Attitudes to the Host (case study: Mashhad)
hamed bakhshi Maryam Hashemian

Tourist-host relations are inevitable in the destination. The tourists expect to have a good experience in their interactions with the host. However, when they encounter unpleasant actions, they get contradictory attitudes towards the destination. This paper studied the More

Tourist-host relations are inevitable in the destination. The tourists expect to have a good experience in their interactions with the host. However, when they encounter unpleasant actions, they get contradictory attitudes towards the destination. This paper studied the effects of tourist-host interactional experience on tourists’ attitudes towards the local people. Four groups of service providers were selected: vehicle drivers, the staff of the Holy Shrine, resellers, and citizens of Mashhad. Data about the tourists’ experiences were extracted from open questions in the questionnaire. Participants’ qualitative experiences were then categorized and codified by thematic analysis in two categories of positive and negative experiences. After counting the thematic codes, attitudes of pilgrims and tourists were measured using a Likert scale. The results showed that the average score of tourists’ attitudes towards the people of Mashhad was 3.33 (1-5), which showed a neutral attitude to the hosts. Among the demographic characteristics, only age and education had significant relations with the pilgrims’ attitude. Age had a positive relation, while education had a negative relation. Besides, interactional experiences influenced the pilgrims’ and tourists’ attitudes. When they had pleasant and positive experiences with the hosts, their attitudes increased positively, while their negative and unpleasant experiences with the host, led to their negative attitudes. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

13 - The Effect of Information Quality of Word of Mouth in Online Social Networks on Tourist Behavior
narjes deyrgandom Mohammad najjarzadeh Seyed Abbas Ebrahimi

Social networks have changed users’ lifestyles over a short period. People use online social networks. Communications between individuals go beyond the circles of friends and family members and involve communicating with strangers. Social networks have thus provided the More

Social networks have changed users’ lifestyles over a short period. People use online social networks. Communications between individuals go beyond the circles of friends and family members and involve communicating with strangers. Social networks have thus provided the marketers with the brand new, yet unlimited opportunities, including online word-of-mouth marketing. This study investigated the effect of information quality of online word of mouth on the tourist behavior. We received 332 questionnaires from domestic tourists who had the experience of using an online word of mouth. Valid questionnaires were 310. The data were analyzed by structural equations and the partial least squares method. The results showed that online word of mouth, information quality, and source credibility had a positive and significant impact on tourist behavior. Also, online word of mouth and information quality had a positive and significant effect on source credibility. Few studies had so far investigated source credibility and quality of information. The results confirmed the direct and significant impact of the two variables on tourist behavior. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

14 - The Effect of E-tourism on the Purchase of Tourism Services and its Conformity with the Behavior of Iranian Tourists
Reza Minaee Farshid Namamian Fakhrodin Maroofi Alireza Moradi

Tourism will soon become the largest service industry in the world with the help of IT. Social networking platforms, which have become prevalent via mobile data, are valuable tools that contribute to the information and telecommunication technology (ICT). These platform More

Tourism will soon become the largest service industry in the world with the help of IT. Social networking platforms, which have become prevalent via mobile data, are valuable tools that contribute to the information and telecommunication technology (ICT). These platforms, which provide interactions and exchanges of various contents among the users, have developed new lifestyles and behavioral models among the tourists. Marketers must enjoy the online social networks and e-tourism to increase their competitiveness, market share, and the generated profit by providing the tourists with some services tailored to their demands. Upon reviewing 100 relevant qualitative and quantitative studies, we used an interpretive structural modeling (ISM) approach to present a model with five primary themes, in order of priority: a major environment, managerial factors, individual factors, group factors, and marketing factors. Through these factors, social networks affected tourists’ behaviors. The model was then tested on Iranian tourists’ behaviors using qualitative and quantitative statistical methods. Results could be used by virtually all marketers and activists in the tourism industry. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

15 - The Effect of Self and Social Congruity on Tourists’ Satisfaction, Experience and WOM in Kish
Mohesn Akbari Sayed Hassan Ale Taha Mohammad Hataminejad

Since tourism services cannot be evaluated before the visit, it is essential to note the word-of-mouth communication in attracting tourists. The sensitivity of the tourism industry and the significance of tourists’ behaviors urge decision-makers to pay more attention to More

Since tourism services cannot be evaluated before the visit, it is essential to note the word-of-mouth communication in attracting tourists. The sensitivity of the tourism industry and the significance of tourists’ behaviors urge decision-makers to pay more attention to how social congruity with the brand image can create a positive image of a region. This paper studied the effect of self and ideal self-congruence on the experience and satisfaction of tourists in Kish. It also investigated the impact of tourists’ experience and satisfaction on their word-of-mouth communications. As a descriptive survey, the statistical population was the tourists in Kish, who visited the place during the summer and fall of 1397. With a sample size of 388 tourists, a questionnaire was used to collect the data. Both validity and reliability were confirmed. Structural equation modeling and partial least squares technique (Smart-PLS 2) were used to analyze the data. Findings showed that when the real and ideal self of tourists were congruent with the real and ideal image of the destination, it led to their satisfaction. Also, the experience and satisfaction of tourists would lead to word-of-mouth communications among tourists. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

16 - Key Success Factors of Crowdsourcing in in Developing Tourism Destination Capabilities: A Case Study of Yazd City
Hamed Fallah Tafti Mahdieh Zahmatkesh Saredorahi بهاره گورنگی

Today, information technology has made it possible to solicit the views of different people with diverse perspectives and ideological backgrounds. Being one of the benefits of IT, crowdsourcing could, as an easy-to-use public opinion survey tool, be used as a very usefu More

Today, information technology has made it possible to solicit the views of different people with diverse perspectives and ideological backgrounds. Being one of the benefits of IT, crowdsourcing could, as an easy-to-use public opinion survey tool, be used as a very useful instrument wherever social participation may facilitates the identification and resolution of problems. Having carefully reviewed previous studies of the field, we found that few attempts have so far been made to induce tourists to socially participate in identifying the opportunities for the development of civilian, cultural, and social infrastructures of tourist destinations. As one of the Iranian cultural and historical tourist destinations, Yazd city has recently been enlisted in UNESCO World Heritage sites and has attracted the attention of many tourists worldwide. Having said that, it appears that its tourism capacities and infrastructures need to be developed. This study, therefore, sought to identify the criteria which could be effective in the success of tourist crowdsourcing in offering appropriate solutions for the development of tourism in Yazd. To this end, the primary criteria for the successful implementation of crowdsourcing were extracted from the relevant literature, from which 25 criteria in six general categories were screened and identified via Delphi method. To rank the criteria mentioned, the opinions of Yazd tourism experts were collected through paired comparisons, being analyzed and ranked by fuzzy network analysis. The finding of the study indicated that human resources and cultural indices with the weights of 0.28 and 0.21 respectively were the most important factors in the success of tourist crowdsourcing. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

17 - Investigating the Role of Iranian National Culture on Creating Images of Iran’s Tourist Destinations: A Case Study of Gilan Province
mohamadreza taghizadeh joorshari Narges Delafrooz mamoud shabgu monsef saeed baghersalimi

This study set out to investigate the effect of familiarity with a country’s culture on the images created in the minds of the foreign tourists visiting there, and the improvement of the public images made of smaller geographical units of that country such as its provic More

This study set out to investigate the effect of familiarity with a country’s culture on the images created in the minds of the foreign tourists visiting there, and the improvement of the public images made of smaller geographical units of that country such as its provices as well. To this end, Gilan province was selected as the population of the study to research on. To collect the required data for testing the three hypotheses defined for this study, a 24-item questionnaire was administered on some 218 foreign tourists who visited different cities of Gilan province. The hypotheses and relationship between the research variables were analyzed through PLS software, using structural equation modeling techniques. The findings of the study suggested that familiarity with Iranian culture could improve Iran’s image and that of the Gilan province in the mind of a foreign tourist. Moreover, the impact of the Iran’s image on Gilan’s image was confirmed. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

18 - Network Analysis of Organizational Cooperation in Tourism Destination Management
Asghar Tahmasebi mehri zavarniya

Organizational cooperation is regarded as a key factor in the sustainability and competitiveness of tourist destinations. This study sought to investigate the organizational cooperation network and the position of different actors and organizations within the management More

Organizational cooperation is regarded as a key factor in the sustainability and competitiveness of tourist destinations. This study sought to investigate the organizational cooperation network and the position of different actors and organizations within the management of Mashhad tourist destinations, using Social Network Analysis. To this end, the data on the organizational interactions of 30 actors involved were collected through surveying and interviewing three key experts in each relevant organization. The data were then analyzed via Ucinet software, using the in-degree, out-degree, and betweenness centrality indicators. The findings of the study indicated that the governmental organizations such as the provincial governments, gubernatorial offices, and the Law Enforcement Forces mostly exercised control and power on Mashhad tourist destinations’ organizational cooperation network. Moreover, with the highest amount of betweenness centrality, the gubernatorial offices, and the Office of Tourism and Cultural Heritage enjoyed the greatest potentials for cooperation within the organizational cooperation network. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

19 - The Impact of Destination Image and Satisfaction on Heritage Tourists’ Loyalty: resenting a Conceptual Model (Case Study: World Collection of Sheikh Safi al-Din Ardabili)
Habib Shahbazi Shiran Roya Esmi

The restoration, preservation, and prosperity of historical monuments in Iran are directly related to the presence of heritage tourists. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the impact of destination image and satisfaction on heritage loyalty within a conc More

The restoration, preservation, and prosperity of historical monuments in Iran are directly related to the presence of heritage tourists. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the impact of destination image and satisfaction on heritage loyalty within a conceptual model based on the visitors of Sheikh Safi al-Din Ardabili collection in Ardabil, Iran. The research method was descriptive-survey and the sample size was determined to be 375 people by using available sampling method and Cochran formula (unspecified population size). Data were analyzed using the SPSS and AMOS softwares. Results showed that most respondents had relatively high satisfaction with their visit to the collection. According to the results of structural equations analysis, the most effective variables related to loyalty, destination image and tourist satisfaction were the variables of tourists' revisit of the collection, awareness and interest and tourism costs, respectively. The destination image also has a significant effect on satisfaction; But effect of destination image on the heritage tourists’ loyalty is mediated by the mediating variable of satisfaction. Therefore, the focus of heritage tourism marketing programs on improving the destination image among heritage tourists would not necessarily lead to an increase in tourists' revisit from the collection. But, attention to satisfaction variable, especially reducing tourism costs and increasing the security feeling, can have more effect on tourists’ loyalty. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

20 - Investigating the Effect of other Tourists' Misbehavior on Overall Tourist Experience: A Case study of Mashhad restaurants
Mohammad Sadegh Iranfar Hadi Rafiei Darani

10.52547/journalitor.36050.9.17.0

This study sought to investigate how by-standing tourists evaluate other tourists' misbehavior in a shared service environment and how this evaluation may influence a tourist's overall experience. The required data were obtained through conducting interviews and adminis More

This study sought to investigate how by-standing tourists evaluate other tourists' misbehavior in a shared service environment and how this evaluation may influence a tourist's overall experience. The required data were obtained through conducting interviews and administering a questionnaire on 411 tourists who visited Mashhad in 2019. Hypothesis testing was performed by structural equation modeling. This study revealed that tourists went through an evaluative process of primary and secondary appraisals that ended in active or passive coping behaviors. It was also found that perceived powerlessness, perceived betrayal, and perceived identity threat were the main cognitive factors in this process. Perceived betrayal exerted a significant effect on passive coping strategies, making the tourists unwilling to solve the problem with the service provider, and thus the customer-to-business relationship was terminated silently. Perceived identity threat positively affected switching intentions. On the other hand, perceived powerlessness discouraged tourists from seeking an immediate solution, while negative emotions led to immediate coping. Tourists' negative emotions were also found to have negatively influenced their evaluation of the overall experience. Therefore, it could be argued that service providers should pay attention to the importance of tourist-to-tourist interaction (TTI) management and take its impact on the overall tourist experience seriously. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

21 - Identifying and Prioritizing Different Aspects of Tourist's Experience Quality from Viewpoints of Foreign Tourists Traveled to Shiraz
mahdi farmani Mohammad ghaffari Navid Shafiei mostafa zandinasab

10.52547/journalitor.36053.9.17.0

Nowadays, tourist experience and tourist destination choice are the main focal points in the tourism industry and tourism-related subjects addressed at universities. As modern tourists are value-oriented, tourist destinations could only be successful if they create valu More

Nowadays, tourist experience and tourist destination choice are the main focal points in the tourism industry and tourism-related subjects addressed at universities. As modern tourists are value-oriented, tourist destinations could only be successful if they create value for their visitors. Moreover, the Quality of tourists' experiences is a key competitive advantage for tourist destinations. This descriptive-survey study, therefore, sought to identify and prioritize different aspects of tourist experience quality from the viewpoint of tourists visiting Shiraz. The statistical population of this study comprised of those foreign tourists who visited Shiraz in April and May of 2019 and stayed at the Grand Hotel of Shiraz. To collect the required data, a questionnaire was administered on 400 visitors who were selected via convenience sampling. The questionnaire's construct validity was measured and approved by experts, and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's Alpha. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted to identify different aspects of tourist experience quality and validate the identified aspects, respectively, using SPSS and LISREL software. Moreover, to prioritize the aspects, the Shannon Entropy method was implemented in EXCEL software. The study's findings indicated that tourist experience quality consisted of ten aspects. It was also found that perceived interactive experience ranked first in that list from the respondents' standpoint. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

22 - Developing a Dynamic Model for Predicting Responsible Travel Intentions Based on the Complexities of Maslow's Needs Pyramid
mahnaz Doosti-Irani Hamed Fallah Tafti

10.52547/journalitor.36089.10.20.47

This applied qualitative study sought to classify the factors involved in responsible travel intentions based on Maslow's needs pyramid and elaborate on the causal relationships between the factors so that it can offer a more effective model for marketing sustainable to More

This applied qualitative study sought to classify the factors involved in responsible travel intentions based on Maslow's needs pyramid and elaborate on the causal relationships between the factors so that it can offer a more effective model for marketing sustainable tourism. To this end, the factors were identified and categorized using the content analysis of the data collected via reviewing the related literature and conducting interviews with apropos experts. Then, systemic thinking was used qualitatively (validated through the experts’ opinions) to develop the interpretive model of causal relations. According to the study’s findings, 23 factors were classified into five categories based on Maslow's needs pyramid as follows: Physiological needs (perceived quality, price, shopping habits, and perceived behavioral control), safety (protection and beliefs concerning the health in responsible travels), love/attachment (environmental concerns, sense of responsibility, perceived effectiveness, environmental awareness, environmental value, spatial belonging, and emotional dependence on residents), respect (social norms, identity representation, satisfaction, advertising, social media content, attitude regarding the responsible travel, beliefs concerning the luxurious nature of responsible travel, and the image of responsible travel), and self-actualization (self-transcendence and personal norms). Moreover, the proposed conceptual model indicated the mutual influence of the factors and categories on each other. Therefore, marketers are required to plan their intended interventions after prioritizing the target group’s responsible needs and selecting the category of needs using systemic thinking. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

23 - Tourism Status in Elementary School Textbooks
ebrahim salehi omran memanat Abadini bltark

10.52547/journalitor.36158.9.18.0

This study sought to analyze the content of tourism education in elementary school textbooks. To this end, some 3776 pages of the textbooks' full content were analyzed using the Shannon entropy method. The study's corpus consisted of 41 elementary school textbooks, incl More

This study sought to analyze the content of tourism education in elementary school textbooks. To this end, some 3776 pages of the textbooks' full content were analyzed using the Shannon entropy method. The study's corpus consisted of 41 elementary school textbooks, including Persian Reading, Persian Writing, Experimental Sciences, Social Studies, Heavenly Gifts, Quran, Work and Technology, and Thinking and research. To obtain the validity of the content analysis, four main components of tourism education were derived from the available literature of the field, using the CVR method. Moreover, after reviewing the textbooks' content twice, the results were presented to three different raters to confirm the reliability of the identified components. Accordingly, the data's content validity was found to be 0.09, and its reliability was reported as 0.70. The study's results indicated that the most and least significant components were "The Whatness of tourism" and "The whoness of the tourists" (Tourist identity), respectively." In addition, the highest frequency of the data was found in the social studies book. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

24 - Analyzing the Effect of Tourists’ Vandalistic Activities in Rural Areas on Local Community’s Tourist Reception and Tolerance: A Case Study of Neyshabour’s Tourist Villages
Hamdollah Sojasi Qeidari zahra rajaei Asma Bazri Keshtan

10.52547/journalitor.36162.9.18.0

Apart from its positive effects, rural areas’ tourism development would exert some tangible and intangible negative influences on the host community. For instance, some tourists destroy and damage the rural areas’ infrastructure and tourist attractions in different ways More

Apart from its positive effects, rural areas’ tourism development would exert some tangible and intangible negative influences on the host community. For instance, some tourists destroy and damage the rural areas’ infrastructure and tourist attractions in different ways such as engraving remembrance words, breaking down trees, etc., which, in the long term, may negatively affect the relationship between the host community and the visitors of the tourism destination villages, leading to a decrease in community’s tourism reception and social tolerance. Therefore, this study sought to analyze the relationship between tourists’ vandalistic activities in rural areas and the local community’s tourism reception and tolerance in the five tourism villages of Neyshabour. To this end, a descriptive-analytical methodology was applied, using library resources and surveys to collect the required data. The study’s population comprised 92 heads of families living in the studied villages. The results suggested that the most frequent vandalized activity conducted by tourists was polluting the village and its surroundings with wastes and the use of alcoholic drinks and drugs. Scores of the locals’ tourism reception and tolerance were, except one case (tolerance of social anomalies induced by tourist visits), reported above average. Moreover, the results of correlation analysis indicated a significant reverse correlation between tourism reception and the locals’ conflict with tourists. Also, the analysis of the effect of tourists’ vandalistic activities on the local community’s tourism reception and social tolerance showed that the significance level was less than 0.05, indicating that the regression model used for the analysis was significant for both dependent variables. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

25 - Developing A Framework for Increasing the Foreign Tourists’ Tendency for Traveling to Iran with an Emphasis on Soft Power
Shadi Mahmoudi darani Mohammad Mehdi Rahimian Asl Mohammad Hasan Maleki Majid Nili Ahmadabadi

10.61186/journalitor.36221.12.25.153

Developed within the past decades as a key concept in international and power relations, soft power emphasizes diplomacy, culture, art, and propaganda instead of hard and coercive aspects of power. As soft power affects the international prestige and credit of countries More

Developed within the past decades as a key concept in international and power relations, soft power emphasizes diplomacy, culture, art, and propaganda instead of hard and coercive aspects of power. As soft power affects the international prestige and credit of countries, this applied exploratory study sought to elaborate on the role of soft power and its componential elements in attracting foreign tourists. The theoretical population of the study comprised fifteen experts in soft power and tourism who were selected via convenience sampling. To conduct the study, twenty-seven factors were identified by reviewing the related literature on tourism and soft power. The factors were then screened via the Binomial test, out of which seventeen factors were excluded due to their over 5% significance coefficient. The remaining ten factors were then analyzed using the cross-impact analysis (CIA) technique. The results of the study indicated that successful organization of political, artistic, scientific, sports, and literary events at the international level, the presence of foreign companies in the business environment of Iran, cyberspace and social networks, and improving tolerance among influential reference groups in society contributed the most to attracting tourists to Iran. The study was also replicated using the DEMATEL method, producing very similar results compared to the previous test, and the same four factors were identified as the most influential factors in attracting foreign tourists. It should be noted that the DEMATEL method and cross-impact analysis are based on a critical realism approach, considering the fact that they both enjoy structural analysis. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

26 - Investigating the Role of Residents' Support for Health Tourism Development in Marketing Using the Cognitive Mapping Approach: A Case Study of Isfahan’s Healthcare Town
mahnaz Doosti-Irani Mir Mohammad Asadi

10.61186/journalitor.36247.11.23.63

Focusing on "the residents' support for the development of health tourism" as a variable that could be considered by marketers to increase demands for this kind of tourism, this study sought to investigate the variables affected by the residents' support and prepare a f More

Focusing on "the residents' support for the development of health tourism" as a variable that could be considered by marketers to increase demands for this kind of tourism, this study sought to investigate the variables affected by the residents' support and prepare a fuzzy cognitive map of such factors using a systemic model. To this end, the aforementioned variables were identified using the Delphi technique. Then, the research model was developed and analyzed using fuzzy cognitive mapping. The findings of the study suggested that the residents' support affected factors such as the destination image, tourist satisfaction, tourist loyalty, positive advertisements by word of mouth, perceived quality of services, tourists' emotional solidarity with the residents, and spatial belonging of tourists to destinations. Moreover, the results of fuzzy cognitive mapping showed that in a system consisting of the above-mentioned variables, the residents' support played a significant role in tourist loyalty and positive word-of-mouth advertisement, with its impact being greater than that of satisfaction or even service quality. In other words, winning the residents' support is a priority in this regard. Moreover, residents' support affects other relevant factors, including perceived quality, tourist satisfaction, spatial belonging, and emotional attachment. Therefore, gaining the residents’ support is highly recommended to be considered in marketing health tourism. Considering the research gaps in this field, the results of the current study could be used for enriching the related literature. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

27 - Identifying Effective Factors in Tourists' Satisfaction of and Tendency to Purchase from Mashhad's Shopping Centers
sara parsapour Hadi Rafiei Darani

10.52547/journalitor.36275.10.19.166

Purchasing is a new type of tourism that is considered as one of the main activities of tourists. This study sought to investigate the effect of shopping centers' features, traveling options, and the tourist destination's economic and social characteristics on tourists’ More

Purchasing is a new type of tourism that is considered as one of the main activities of tourists. This study sought to investigate the effect of shopping centers' features, traveling options, and the tourist destination's economic and social characteristics on tourists’ satisfaction of and tendency to purchase from shopping centers with an emphasis on comparing tourists and pilgrims visiting Mashhad's traditional and modern shopping centers (Bazaar Reza and Almas-e-Sharq). To this end, 404 questionnaires were administered during the summer of 2019, using multiple logit analyses to identify the relevant factors. The study's results indicated that variables such as background information concerning the shopping center, the number of family members accompanying a person in travel, seller`s appropriate treatment, the existence of parking lots, quality of the product, marital status, geographical location, income, and product variety had a significant effect on tourists' tendency to purchase from shopping centers. Therefore, to increase the tourists' satisfaction of and willingness to purchase from shopping centers, the following steps are recommended to be taken: constructing shopping centers in places that are easier to access for the tourists; Exercising stricter supervision on prices of different products and services; equipping the shopping centers with parking lots that are capacious enough, and providing the shopping centers with diverse various goods and services. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

28 - Investigating the Factors Affecting the Local Community's Life Quality in Religious Tourism Destinations: A Case Study of Shiraz
Abbas Javidian

10.52547/journalitor.36284.10.19.369

Religious tourism has long been welcomed by many tourists and individuals, creating changes in the host community's quality of life through changing human interactions. Therefore, this descriptive survey study sought to identify and rank the factors involved in the loca More

Religious tourism has long been welcomed by many tourists and individuals, creating changes in the host community's quality of life through changing human interactions. Therefore, this descriptive survey study sought to identify and rank the factors involved in the local community's quality of life in Shiraz as a religious tourism destination using the fuzzy cognitive mapping approach. To this end, two types of statistical population groups were used. The first group comprised of experts in the field of religious tourism in Shiraz who were selected judiciously and purposefully to adjust and determine the intended factors. Then, a matrix questionnaire was administered to the second group which comprised thirty indigenous workers in the field of religious tourism. Then, the data and scenarios were analyzed using the fuzzy cognitive mapping technique, and the research model was designed using social network analysis. The results showed that there are several factors involved in improving the local community's quality of life in Shiraz, including increasing welfare, increasing investments, and a sense of belonging among residents and tourists, respectively. Manuscript profile

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