Designing a model of nomadic tourism development: A grounded theory approach

Given the increasing popularity of authentic and rich cultural tourism experiences, Iran's nomadic cultural landscape potential, and the dearth of research to identify multiple aspects of nomadic tourism development in Iran, this exploratory study aims to elaborate a multi-faceted nomadic tourism development model for Iran based on the grounded theory approach. The statistical population of this qualitative study was nomadic tourism practitioners and experts in Iran, both in the public and private sectors. Nineteen experts were selected for semi-structured interviews through purposeful and snowball sampling. To ensure the trustworthiness of the data, interviews were conducted with individuals of diverse genders, organizational affiliations, academic backgrounds, and experience in the field of nomadic tourism. During the data collection process, the principle of data saturation was considered, and data gathering continued until repetitive responses emerged. After completing the analysis, the final results were shared with the participants, and their feedback on the findings was reviewed. Data analysis revealed 74 final codes, which were categorized into six core categories and 14 sub-categories, including causal conditions (market and competition, and socio-economic factors), background conditions (socio-cultural and infrastructural), interfering conditions (driving and constraining), core phenomenon (nomadic tourism products and services, and activities), strategies (focused on products and services, marketing and promotion, and human resources) and consequences (economic, socio-cultural, competitive). The findings can be helpful for policymakers and planners in formulating tourism development strategies tailored to the requirements of nomadic communities in Iran.