List of Articles

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  1 - Investigating Stakeholder Perceptions on the Realization of Pro-Poor Tourism in Selected Villages in the Eastern Province of Semnan
  Mohammad Reza  Rezvani seyed ali badri Zabih-Allah  Torabi
  The poor have been the focus of attention in tourism development programs in developing countries. This has become a primary concern in tourism development programs so that the net revenues of tourism have been the reason for any tourism development initiative. The pres More

  The poor have been the focus of attention in tourism development programs in developing countries. This has become a primary concern in tourism development programs so that the net revenues of tourism have been the reason for any tourism development initiative. The present qualitative study used content analysis to identify and explain perceptions of tourism stakeholders to reduce the poverty in the selected villages, i.e. Qaleh Bala, Abr and Reza Abad, in the east of Semnan. Because of their geographical isolation and traditional lifestyles, people in these villages suffered from poverty. In recent years, the government made efforts to reduce poverty through tourism development in these areas. The interviews with the five stakeholders showed that with government support, tourism reduced poverty in three ways: direct, indirect, and dynamic. The support had thus increased opportunities and skills for a large part of the rural poor and had also promoted relative cohesion, participation, and environmentally responsible behavior. Manuscript profile
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  2 - The Typology of Pilgrimage Styles among Youths in Mashhad
  مهدی کرمانی Ahmadreza  AsgharpourMasouleh Mohammadmahdi VaezMousavi
  Although pilgrimage is known as a religious action, it has many socio-cultural features, which require in-depth qualitative studies. The typology of pilgrimage among different social strata is an example of such features. To understand different styles of pilgrimage, te More

  Although pilgrimage is known as a religious action, it has many socio-cultural features, which require in-depth qualitative studies. The typology of pilgrimage among different social strata is an example of such features. To understand different styles of pilgrimage, ten participants were chosen. The aged 20-30 and were citizens of Mashhad. Interviews were semi-structured and were analyzed based on their themes. The main finding of this research showed four classes of pilgrimage based on the Weberian account of ideal types: introspective, traditional, pragmatic and entertaining. Each type emerged in three phases: preliminaries and essentials, practice, and achievements. The four axial concepts represented the essence of the pilgrimage styles: a. spirituality was the pivotal concept in the introspective style; b. the traditional pilgrimage related to rituals; c. the wish related to the practical style; d. leisure was the essence of entertainer pilgrimage. Manuscript profile
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  3 - Determining the Most Suitable Ecosystem for Community-Based Ecotourism Development: case of Siyahoo rural district in Bandar
    Ali Shahdadi  
  Sustainability in ecotourism requires comprehensive participation of the host community in ecotourism projects. Community-based ecotourism (CBET) is an approach in which the local community acts as the founder and promoter of ecotourism and it takes part in its developm More

  Sustainability in ecotourism requires comprehensive participation of the host community in ecotourism projects. Community-based ecotourism (CBET) is an approach in which the local community acts as the founder and promoter of ecotourism and it takes part in its development. This paper tried to locate community-based ecotourism as a development model in Siyahoo rural district. The paper wanted to answer: where are the most suitable ecosystems in Siyahoo rural district for developing CBET according to economic, socio-cultural, institutional-physical and environmental indices. This is an applied and developmental research, which followed a descriptive method in data collection and analyzed them quantitatively. The statistical population included the local communities, tourists, experts and elites in the tourism sector. Data were collected from four tourist rural areas (Siayhoo, Kharsin, Banglayan, and Sikhoran) in the Siyahoo rural district using interviews and questionnaires by Purposive Quota-Sampling. Participants included 370 people from the local community, 359 tourists from the Siyahoo rural district and 15 experts and elites. SPSS 22 was used to analyze the data, and the SWOT technique to determine the CBET development strategies. The findings of the assessed elements (including economic, socio-cultural, institutional-physical and environmental indices) showed that Bangelayan village had the highest capability to develop community-based ecotourism in Siyahoo. Manuscript profile
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  4 - Identifying Institutional Factors Influencing the Exploitation of Entrepreneurial Opportunities in Health-Tourism in Iran: a qualitative study of Tehran province
  Kamal Sakhdari nader seyedamiri Alireza Rajaian Javad Sakhdari
  Despite many potentials in health tourism in Iran, few entrepreneurial behaviors tried to use them. The nexus theory of actor-opportunity suggests that entrepreneurial behaviors result from a suitable combination of actors and the supporting environment. Institutional f More

  Despite many potentials in health tourism in Iran, few entrepreneurial behaviors tried to use them. The nexus theory of actor-opportunity suggests that entrepreneurial behaviors result from a suitable combination of actors and the supporting environment. Institutional factors are among the important elements of a supporting context for entrepreneurship. This qualitative research aimed to identify institutional factors that influenced the exploitation of health-tourism opportunities in Tehran province. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurs and health tourism experts. Interviewees were selected using targeted and snowball methods. This study took place in Tehran, April to July 2015. We introduced four categories of institutional factors: regulatory, normative, cognitive and supportive. These categories form the essential factors for exploiting entrepreneurial opportunities in health tourism in Iran focusing on the capital city of Tehran. Manuscript profile
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  5 - A Model for Investigating the Effect of Online Word-of-Mouth Communications on Travel Intention for Tourism Destination
  Mohammad ghaffari  
  Given the advancements in information and communication technologies, many tourists prefer to collect tourism destination information through electronic word-of-mouth communications. This paper aimed to present a model for investigating the effect of online word-of-mout More

  Given the advancements in information and communication technologies, many tourists prefer to collect tourism destination information through electronic word-of-mouth communications. This paper aimed to present a model for investigating the effect of online word-of-mouth communications on travel intention. The statistical population of this study included inbound tourists who traveled to Tehran in September 2016. A sample of 200 tourists was selected conveniently. To collect data, a researcher-developed questionnaire (including 24 questions) was used. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire were examined and confirmed. Findings showed that online word-of-mouth communications affected tourism destination image and that tourism destination image significantly affected both the trust in tourism destination and the intention to travel. The trust in tourism destination significantly affected the travel intention for the destination. Also, online word-of-mouth communications had significant effects on the trust in tourism destination and the travel intention directly and indirectly. Manuscript profile
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  6 - The Effect of Water Conservation and Waste Reduction Management on Increasing the Customer Loyalty in the Hotel Industry
    Maryam Mesbahi Shokrieh  Taheri Zahra  Akbari
  Developing the tourism industry had both positive (creating employment and environmental aesthetics) and negative effects (making environmental pollution and destroying ecosystems). In recent decades, the awareness of the environmental impacts of tourism increased as a More

  Developing the tourism industry had both positive (creating employment and environmental aesthetics) and negative effects (making environmental pollution and destroying ecosystems). In recent decades, the awareness of the environmental impacts of tourism increased as a sign of a change in attitudes towards the environment. This research investigated the effect of water conservation and waste reduction management on increasing customer loyalty to show the role of hedonic values in the hotel industry. The statistical population included the customers of four- and five-star hotels in Tehran. The study used random sampling and Cochran formula to get a sample. A standard questionnaire was used as a tool to collect the data whose validity and reliability was examined through the content validity and Cronbach’s alpha. Structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. The findings showed that water conservation and waste reduction management had positive and meaningful effects on hedonic values and customer loyalty. Hedonic values had positive and meaningful effects on customer loyalty. The results also showed that water conservation and waste reduction management through hedonic values had a significant positive effect on customer loyalty. Manuscript profile
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  7 - Psychological Carrying Capacity and Lake Beach Management in Zayanderud Dam
  Kamran Shayesteh Zahra  Sheikhi Alireza  Ildoromi
  Psychological Carrying Capacity differs among people based on their culture, the characteristics of the study area, and psychological and social factors. Congestion is the most direct physical and psychological indicator of the increasing number of tourists and is in a More

  Psychological Carrying Capacity differs among people based on their culture, the characteristics of the study area, and psychological and social factors. Congestion is the most direct physical and psychological indicator of the increasing number of tourists and is in a close connection with Psychological Carrying Capacity. This study investigated the Psychological Carrying Capacity in the lake beach of Zayanderud Dam in Isfahan province. Visitors’ satisfaction level was coded and tested based on 16 parameters of the Likert spectrum in five scales, from -2 (Very Dissatisfied) to +2 (Very Satisfied). Safety in the area (86.4%) was the most satisfying parameter and the most dissatisfying parameter was the beach benches (54.4%). The Importance-Performance Matrix showed that except for the congestion, the beach benches, and the entrance fee, the importance for all parameters was upper than 90%, and among all, cleanliness (i.e. no litter) was the most important (100%). Perceived Sense of Crowding and Social Norm Curve (based on ICT technology) were used to define 3797 visitors and the acceptable thresholds between 1370 and 8375. To the question of how the crowd affected the visiting quality, over 50 percent of tourists responded that people’s presence increased their enjoyment of tourism activities. The results also showed that more than half of the visitors would pay an entrance fee if the fees were to conserve the beach area. Manuscript profile