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      • Open Access Article

        1 - Analysis of Local, National and Global Geographical Scales’ Effects on Kurdistan’s tourism development
        Mokhtar Bahrami
        Tourism is a complex and multidimensional industry that planning for its development needs consistency and convergence of actions in different levels of decision-making. Tourism development is possible when practical actions in local scale will be aligned with macro pol More
        Tourism is a complex and multidimensional industry that planning for its development needs consistency and convergence of actions in different levels of decision-making. Tourism development is possible when practical actions in local scale will be aligned with macro policy-making in national scale and current trends in global scale. This research intends to survey the effects of local, national and global scales on the tourism development in Kurdistan province and then while determining the most affecting scale in tourism development in the studied area, identifying the most important factors in the mentioned triple scales that prevent developing of tourism in that area. This research is an applied analytical-descriptive study which benefits from qualitative methodology. The data were collected through desk research and field survey. Main assumption of this research is that national scale due to its interstitial nature has the most influence on tourism underdevelopment and political factors that necessarily are not related to tourism, are the most important causes of tourism underdevelopment in Kurdistan province. The field and desk research findings approve both assumptions of research. This means that national, global and local scales respectively have the most influence on emergence of status quo and “weakness of transport infrastructure”, “security and political approach towards the local community” in local scale, “political and religious ideological approach towards tourism policy making” in national scale and “strained political relations between Iran and the West” in global scale are the most important factors in tourism underdevelopment in Kurdistan province. Manuscript profile
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        2 - The Framework for Formulating Tourism Policies of Islamic Republic of Iran
        Hamid Zargham Boroojeni  
        In this article, the researchers have tried to propose a model for formulating tourism policies of Iran in accordance to tourism policies of Five-Year Economic, Social and Cultural Plan and that of Iran Vision of 2025. Hence, a questionnaire composed of 15 questions (wi More
        In this article, the researchers have tried to propose a model for formulating tourism policies of Iran in accordance to tourism policies of Five-Year Economic, Social and Cultural Plan and that of Iran Vision of 2025. Hence, a questionnaire composed of 15 questions (with Likert scale) was distributed among tourism experts (university professors, tourism experts at Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization and etc.). The data was then analyzed by use of Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmative Factor Analysis. The results showed that there are four factors (Economic and Supportive, Political, Marketing and Development and Cultural) that can be considered for policy making of Iran, more specifically for future formulation of tourism policies of Iran. The results also showed that marketing and development policies are of highest priority (regarding the experts’ point of view). The importance of different variables was also examined in this article. Manuscript profile
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        3 - Analyzing the barriers of rural tourism development (Case study: Fash Village Kangavar city, Kermanshah province)
             
        Rural tourism is considered as an employment factor and income generator that can be an important solution for social and economic development of rural communities as well as protecting the rural culture and environment. The first step in the development of rural touris More
        Rural tourism is considered as an employment factor and income generator that can be an important solution for social and economic development of rural communities as well as protecting the rural culture and environment. The first step in the development of rural tourism is to identify its barriers and challenges. This study will analyze the barriers and challenges of rural tourism, through a qualitative paradigm and a grounded theory, also analysis of variance (ANOVA) was explored in the case study, the village of Fash from Kangavar. Data collection was conducted through, in-depth interviews, direct observations and desk research. The validity of this research was confirmed by experts and specialists such as university professors, experts and managers in Iranin Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHTO). By using MaxQDA, as a valuable qualitative analyzing software, themes, percentage and frequency of codes were analyzed. The results of the study showed that the main barriers of rural tourism development are: economic problems, socio-cultural problems, managerial-infrastructural problems and informational and publicity problems. Analyze of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey tests revealed that, from villagers’ point of view, the managerial-infrastructural problem has a higher impact whereas experts considered the same range of impact for informational and publicity problems as a barrier for rural tourism development. Manuscript profile
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        4 - 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
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        5 - Effective Drivers on the Sustainable Development of Rural Tourism with an Emphasis on Futures Studies (Awraman district of Sarvabad city)
          رسول صفیاری soran manoochehri
        Sustainable development of tourism requires a future studies approach. Given the nature of sustainability and the complexity of the open tourism system and its impact from trends, events, and changes (known as drivers), such an approach can identify, understand, and ana More
        Sustainable development of tourism requires a future studies approach. Given the nature of sustainability and the complexity of the open tourism system and its impact from trends, events, and changes (known as drivers), such an approach can identify, understand, and analyze the complexities and the operating drivers. This applied research with a descriptive-analytical method and a prospective exploratory approach identified the most important drivers that would affect the sustainable development of Awraman (Kurdistan, Iran) rural tourism. To identify the drivers, we used the Delphi technique and selected 38 experts. The MicMac software was used to find the relationships and their impacts and effectiveness. The results showed that the tourism system of the region would follow an unstable development. In such a situation, the aggregated drivers of economic, institutional, and environmental indicators would be more effective than social drivers. The most effective driver would be an inappropriate business environment, while a culture of self-employment and entrepreneurship would be the most influential driver in the sustainable development tourism for the region. Manuscript profile
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        6 - A Conceptual Model for the Cultural Tourism Sustainable Development: a meta-synthesis approach
        Mohanna Nikbin hamid Reza Zargham Broujeni sayed reza salehi amiri kamran mohamadkhani farhad ghaffari
        Tourism is a powerful means of cultural transactions among societies. UNWTO predicted the following two decades (to 2030) to be the tourism sustainable growth period. Cultural tourism development could preserve the cultural and natural assets of destinations, enhance th More
        Tourism is a powerful means of cultural transactions among societies. UNWTO predicted the following two decades (to 2030) to be the tourism sustainable growth period. Cultural tourism development could preserve the cultural and natural assets of destinations, enhance the host communities’ quality of life, and delight the tourists. Following an interpretive approach and a systematic meta-synthesis technique, this paper systematically studied the scholarship in cultural tourism sustainable development. This study identified and categorized the extracted codes using a latent content analysis strategy. Based on the CASP criterion, the papers published in authentic Persian and English scientific databases by 2019 (Azar 1397) were selected. Maxqda 2018.1 was used to identify, group, analyze, and interpret the codes. One hundred four primary codes were grouped into 29 major and minor categories, and four main codes: i.e., dimensions, influential factors, impacts and challenges of cultural tourism sustainable development. We presented a conceptual model for cultural tourism sustainable development. Finally, by Cohen’s kappa index using SPSS, the validity of the results was measured 0.712, also verified by the experts excluding the authors. Manuscript profile
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        7 - Comparing the Attitude Patterns of Men and Women in Planning and Developing Clean and Inexpensive Coastal Cycling Tourism (Case Study of Babolsar)
        Mehdi   Ramezanzadeh Lasbuie فرشته  دوستی
        In traditional societies, gender roles are not notable, whereas gender relations play a significant role in planning and developing tourism. Gender relations give identity to people and set their power and participation in environmental and socio-cultural affairs. All t More
        In traditional societies, gender roles are not notable, whereas gender relations play a significant role in planning and developing tourism. Gender relations give identity to people and set their power and participation in environmental and socio-cultural affairs. All types of tourism, including cycling tourism, play roles in distributing power, resources, participation, and support among the members of society, particularly women and youths. Babolsar city has a coastline of 27 km, which makes it the lengthiest swimming beach in Mazandaran province, visited by various tourists. Should the standards improve, the city’s coastline could attract bicycle tourists and even hold cycling races on a national level. This study compared the attitude patterns of men and women to develop cycling tourism. It also discussed the motivational factors affecting women. Two hundred questionnaires were randomly distributed among tourists on the beaches of Babolsar city. Data were analyzed by T-test and linear regression in SPSS. The results showed that women, similar to men, had a high tendency to use bicycles in a suitable environment. They also asked to establish standard infrastructures to improve their skills. Among the motivational factors in women’s views, the pro-cycling attitudes and perceived cycling ease had the highest impact on developing cycling tourism in Babolsar. Manuscript profile
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        8 - A model for developing disabled tourism in the city of Yazd
        Mir Mohhammad  Asadi Mehdi Bassouli Yasamin Boroumandzad
        Traveling always brings with itself a sense of rejuvenation, hope, and abandonment from daily activities. Most experts recommend traveling to the elderly, the disabled, and the veterans. The main issue for disabled people is their being ignored in the Iranian tourism ne More
        Traveling always brings with itself a sense of rejuvenation, hope, and abandonment from daily activities. Most experts recommend traveling to the elderly, the disabled, and the veterans. The main issue for disabled people is their being ignored in the Iranian tourism network. Many urban and public spaces lack the proper facilities and are hard to use. People with disabilities have less or limited opportunities to enjoy tourism activities. Disabled tourism needs particular attention since Yazd was named a World Heritage by UNESCO. This research designed a model of the factors that influenced developing disabled tourism in Yazd. Reviewing the literature, we identified 15 essential factors, which were revised and modified into 13 after interviews with some experts. Using cognitive mapping technique and interpretive structural modeling, we designed a model for essential factors. The results showed that the most critical factors in developing disabled tourism included the role of the government in promoting such tourism, a customized transportation system for the disabled, and security. Manuscript profile
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        9 - The willingness of tourists to pay for services in rural tourism destinations
        Hamdollah  Sojasi Qeidari حمیده محمودی Atefe jomeei
        Tourism-baed development would only takes place if local communities are provided with the revenues earned from visiting tourists who are willingly pay for tourism services offered. This study, therefore, sought to investigate the willingness of toursits visiting the vi More
        Tourism-baed development would only takes place if local communities are provided with the revenues earned from visiting tourists who are willingly pay for tourism services offered. This study, therefore, sought to investigate the willingness of toursits visiting the villages of Shandiz city in Binalood town to pay for tourism services offered there. Being a descriptive-analytic research, the study used conditional evaluation method and logit model to measure the pay willingness rate. Vikor model was also employed to identify the spatial differences among the tourists in terms of their willingness to pay for the services they received. The population of the study comprised of eleven villages which were visited throughout 2018 by 96 visitors who were selected as the participants of the study according to Cochran formula with 0.1 error rate. The results of the stusy indicate that tourists tends to spend an average of 776540 Rials (equal to 6 USD) in the villages they visit. Taking the the total willingness of the visiting tourists to pay for the services for a full day into account, commercial facilities, catering, recreation, and residential facilities were the most willingly paid services respectively. Moreover, based on the Vikor model, tourists spend more money in Virani village as more services are offered there in terms of restaurant, catering, and residential facilities. Manuscript profile
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        10 - Assessing Social Entrepreneurship Criteria in Rural Tourism Development: A Case Study of Gilan Province, Iran
        Hamed Fallah Tafti Fatemeh Doozandehziabary Asghar  Nabil
        In today’s world, finding practical solutions to deal with rural developments is required for the survival of the villages. On the other hand, many countries consider tourism as the economic driving force, setting as the main strategy in developing appropriate plans for More
        In today’s world, finding practical solutions to deal with rural developments is required for the survival of the villages. On the other hand, many countries consider tourism as the economic driving force, setting as the main strategy in developing appropriate plans for rural development. To this end, social entrepreneurship and tourism are given specific priority, the promotion of which could prepare the grounds for the development and progress of rural areas. Therefore, considering the fact that social entrepreneurship criteria are of great importance in rural tourism development and that few studies have so far been conducted on the assessment of the effectiveness of such criteria in fulfilling the development goals, this study sought to investigate social entrepreneurship criteria in rural tourism development in Gilan province, Iran. To this end, first, the criteria for social entrepreneurship in tourism were identified by reviewing the related literature. Then, a researcher-developed questionnaire was administered to thirty-five entrepreneurs, experts, and professionals in the field of tourism with at least five years of working experience who were selected via snowball sampling to identify the significance of each criterion with regard to the other ones. Finally, the investigated criteria were ranked using Interpretive structural modeling (ISM). According to the findings of the study, nine levels were identified for the ranking of the investigated criteria, with the ninth level, that is belief in entrepreneurship and the creative use of resources, being the most influential social entrepreneurship criteria involved in rural tourism development in Gilan province. Manuscript profile
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        11 - 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
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        12 - Tourism, Tourism development# Religious development#Systematic approach#Interpretive structural modeling (ISM)
        Hamid Zargham Boroojeni marjan abdi Seyed Mojtaba Mahmoudzadeh hossein aslipour
        Religious tourism plays an important role in Iranian cultural and economic sustainability. Due to the special nature of the Iranian political establishment, this type of tourism provides many potentials for tourism development in different parts of Iran. Making the best More
        Religious tourism plays an important role in Iranian cultural and economic sustainability. Due to the special nature of the Iranian political establishment, this type of tourism provides many potentials for tourism development in different parts of Iran. Making the best use of these capacities requires recognition of the barriers and challenges lying ahead of the development of religious tourism. Therefore, this study set out to identify the challenges facing religious tourism, using thematic analysis (TA) and interpretive structural modeling (ISM). Moreover, the relationship model between the influential factors involved in this regard was extracted at three levels via the thematic network. Finally, MICMAC analysis was conducted to measure the influence power and dependence of the factors. The required data were collected through library research and administering a questionnaire on 15 experts familiar with the subject matter who were selected through purposive sampling, out of whom 11 experts completed the questionnaire. The findings of the study indicated that variables such as lack of attention to the chain of providing religious tourism services, lack of programming, policymaking, and monitoring the religious tourism process, and not allocating budget and financial supports for religious tourism development in Iran played essential and key roles in the non-development of this type of tourism. These variables were placed at the third level of the model that affect the second level variables. It was also found that the variables such as inefficient management of religious tourism facilities and services, inefficient management of religious attractions and events, and improper management of religious tourism marketing were dependent variables that were placed at the first level of the model. Manuscript profile
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        13 - Investigating the Effect of Tourists Visits on Social Health of Host Communities: A Case Study of Select Tourism villages of Binalood city
        tahereh Sadeghloo mitra yarahmadi
        ), which is a statistical measure and gives investors a clue concerning volatility, is calculated to determine the extent to which companies are exposed to systematic risk. However, the asymmetry of information between the internal and external environment of small and More
        ), which is a statistical measure and gives investors a clue concerning volatility, is calculated to determine the extent to which companies are exposed to systematic risk. However, the asymmetry of information between the internal and external environment of small and medium-sized companies makes such studies more complex. According to the panel-data model results, the size of companies and the amount of their advertising have an adverse effect on systematic risk. Manuscript profile
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        14 - Investigating A Conceptual Link Between Tourism and Social Capital in the Development and Transformation of Society: A Mixed-Method Study
        Javad Madani
        As a multifaceted phenomenon, tourism has traditionally existed in different dimensions and areas of society. On the other hand, there are some basic concepts in sociology such as social capital, which, together with the concept of tourism, can foster social development More
        As a multifaceted phenomenon, tourism has traditionally existed in different dimensions and areas of society. On the other hand, there are some basic concepts in sociology such as social capital, which, together with the concept of tourism, can foster social development and evolution. Therefore, this study sought to develop a model in terms of a conceptual link between tourism and social capital to be used for the development and evolution of society using mixed-method research. To this end, the study used the partially mixed sequential dominant status design approach conducted in three qualitative-qualitative-quantitative phases, according to which systematic review, thematic analysis, and modified Delphi methods were used, respectively. According to the findings of the study, in the first phase, twenty-six English and Persian articles were selected out of 211 reviewed articles using the systematic review method. In the second phase, the data collected through semi-structured interviews were analyzed via the thematic analysis method, according to which sixty-seven basic themes, twenty-six organizing themes, and four inclusive themes were identified and extracted. In the third phase, three rounds of Delphi were conducted to validate the components of the model and examine the extent of the experts’ consensus in this regard using the modified Delphi method. Accordingly, all the experts confirmed the validity of the model’s components. The results of the study indicate the pivotal role of components such as "Providing social support, participating in tourism, observing the civil rights, strengthening social, cultural, and economic infrastructure, etc. in creating a link between tourism and social capital, which can pave the ground for fostering social developments. Manuscript profile
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        15 - Designing Entrepreneurship Development Model for cultural tourism in Yazd, the World Heritage City
        Mehdi Basouli seyed saeed hashemi Mohammad Hossein   Imani khoshkho Seysd habib o allah  mirghafouri
        "Due to its very nature, tourism enjoys proper grounds for entrepreneurship development. There are limited studies on the development of entrepreneurship in tourism. Among the growing areas of tourism, ‘Cultural Tourism’ could be referred to as a demanding preference fo More
        "Due to its very nature, tourism enjoys proper grounds for entrepreneurship development. There are limited studies on the development of entrepreneurship in tourism. Among the growing areas of tourism, ‘Cultural Tourism’ could be referred to as a demanding preference for development in areas with the potentials for growth. This study sought to provide a model for entrepreneurship development in cultural tourism using Grounded theory. To this end, some eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect the required data, out of which and 367 primary codes, 97 secondary codes, 44 concept codes were extracted and classified into ten distinct categories. The study’s population consisted of university instructors and lecturers, experts working in state-owned tourism institutions, the owners of active businesses in Yazd cultural tourism, and the professionals within the field who were selected through ‘theoretical sampling.’ Moreover, the sample size was determined based on theoretical saturation. The study’s results found via the application of the ‘three-pronged model’ indicated that factors involved in the development of cultural tourism entrepreneurship could be categorized in three general categories of ‘structural factors,’ grounds and ‘environmental conditions, and ‘behavioral factors,’ each including their own relevant components and indices. Manuscript profile
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        16 - " Cognitive mapping of components for developing people-oriented cities and their importance in tourism development: A case study of Yazd province, Iran "
        Hamed Fallah Tafti saeede derakhsh vahideh hekmat
        "Contrary to automotive, commodity-based, and money-oriented cities, a people-oriented city is an organic and systematic city based on human virtues and commune where people are concerned about each others’ rights. In such a city, humans are the main focus of urban plan More
        "Contrary to automotive, commodity-based, and money-oriented cities, a people-oriented city is an organic and systematic city based on human virtues and commune where people are concerned about each others’ rights. In such a city, humans are the main focus of urban planners, urban developers, and, most importantly, municipal decision-makers and executives. Therefore, here the biological, spiritual, and psychological needs of humans are the fundamental elements taken into account by urban management. This city, then, could unite urban spaces and tourists. Considering its great potentials, Yazd could be a good case for tourism development, building people-oriented cities, and improving the desirability of urban life. This qualitative-quantitative study sought to explore the feasibility of building a people-oriented city in Yazd province based on urban planning and the causal factors involved in this regard, intending to attract more tourists to this region. To this end, 14 interviews were conducted with tourism and urban planning experts, out of which 19 factors involved in building such a city were identified. The causal relationship between the identified factors was examined through a mixed-method approach, using the fuzzy cognitive mapping technique. The study’s findings indicated that educating the citizens, developing a sense of familiarity with the environment, and reducing environmental pollutions (soil, water, air) were the three most important factors for developing people oriented-cities in Yazd province, Iran. " Manuscript profile
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        17 - Investigating the impact of community-based tourism on development of rural communities from the perspective of the local community: A Case Study of Paveh Tourist Villages
        behrooz badko
        Community-oriented tourism seeks to create economic benefits, preserve natural resources, protect the local culture, and improve the local community's quality of life, so that needs of the present and future generations are met. This type of tourism development would be More
        Community-oriented tourism seeks to create economic benefits, preserve natural resources, protect the local culture, and improve the local community's quality of life, so that needs of the present and future generations are met. This type of tourism development would bear maximum benefits if the local communities' infrastructural potentials are strengthened, and the rural community's ability to use them is improved. Therefore, this descriptive-analytical study set out to examine the impact of community-oriented tourism on the development of rural communities from the perspective of the local community. To this end, 365 questionnaires were administered to the target tourism villages (namely Hajij, Shamshir, Nasmeh, and Khaneghah) located in Paveh city, using the SPSS software to analyze the collected data. The results showed that community-based tourism promoted economic, social, cultural, and environmental indicators, leading to rural development. Moreover, the regression analysis on the intended variables suggested economic indicators played the highest role in local community development, followed by social, cultural, and environmental indicators, respectively. Kendall's tau-b test results also proved a significant correlation between local community development and community-based tourism. Manuscript profile
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        18 - Identifying and Prioritizing Development Steps of Cultural Tourism in Lorestan Province Rural Areas
        zeinab asadporiyan yaser mohamadi mehdi rahimian
        This study sought to identify and prioritize the development steps of cultural tourism in rural areas of Lorestan province using the qualitative-quantitative method and exploratory approach. To this end, at the first stage, 19 semi-structured interviews were conducted w More
        This study sought to identify and prioritize the development steps of cultural tourism in rural areas of Lorestan province using the qualitative-quantitative method and exploratory approach. To this end, at the first stage, 19 semi-structured interviews were conducted with cultural tourism experts to identify the steps involved in cultural tourism development, out of which thirty-three solutions were identified in four main steps via open, axial, and selective coding. At the second stage, the Delphi-Fuzzy technique was applied in two stages to reach a consensus among the experts and prioritize cultural tourism development steps through the defuzzification process. The results showed that the identified strategies for cultural tourism development in Lorestan province could be categorized into four main steps: "Education and Innovation," "Physical Infrastructure," "Supportive-Institutional," and "Cultural-Advertising." Moreover, since the defuzzificated mean difference of the experts' opinion was less than 0.25 in two steps, all the identified solutions were proved to be valid. The results also indicated that the first and foremost step in tourism development was "education and innovation," followed by physical infrastructure, supportive-institutional, and cultural-promotional steps, respectively. Furthermore, at each step, the most important solutions were found to be advertising for tourism villages, identifying villages with tourism potentials, providing banking facilities for villagers to help them develop tourism, and building cultural elements and particular architectures in rural areas, respectively. Manuscript profile
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        19 - 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
        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
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        20 - Presenting a Framework for Developing Ecotourism in Kermanshah Province's Target tourism Villages
        heshmat moradi Alireza  Poursaeid Marjan vahedi mohamad bagher Arayesh
        Ecotourism is a sustainable strategy for earning revenues while preserving natural resources. Therefore, this study set out to provide a framework for developing ecotourism in Kermanshah province's target tourism villages using grounded theory. The required data were c More
        Ecotourism is a sustainable strategy for earning revenues while preserving natural resources. Therefore, this study set out to provide a framework for developing ecotourism in Kermanshah province's target tourism villages using grounded theory. The required data were collected via semi-structured interviews with 20 experts who were selected through snowball sampling. The collected data were then analyzed in Maxqda12 software using open coding, axial coding, and selective coding approach, resulting in 433 codes, 124 concepts, 23 sub-categories, and 6 main categories. The main categories of the model included causal categories (participatory, economic, regional attractions and potentials, policy, social and cultural, managerial, infrastructure, ecotourism services and facilities, and the core category of ecotourism development), intervening categories (economic, managerial, and educational), strategic categories (economic and educational), and consequential categories (positive and negative economic consequences, and social, cultural and environmental consequences) were grouped together in a paradigmatic framework. Manuscript profile
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        21 - Investigating Socio-Economic Impact of Religious Tourism on Spatial Development of Qom Province
        Ali Sadeghi Valiollah Nazari Mohammad Gholami Mohammad Amir  Amrollahi
        This descriptive-analytical study sought to investigate the socio-economic impacts of religious tourism on the spatial development of Qom province, using a researcher-developed questionnaire designed via Analytical Hierarchy Process to collect its required data. To this More
        This descriptive-analytical study sought to investigate the socio-economic impacts of religious tourism on the spatial development of Qom province, using a researcher-developed questionnaire designed via Analytical Hierarchy Process to collect its required data. To this end, the required criteria were developed at two levels: the economic level comprising of five sub-criteria, including "Increase in employment, increase in incomes, reduction in inflation, increase in regional production", and: private sector participation", and the social level comprising three sub-criteria, including "Increasing the security, increasing the social culture, improving services and infrastructure". The results of surveying the priority of these criteria indicated the high impact of the economic element of tourism on the spatial development of Qom province. According to experts, the more economic power the people have, the better its impact would be on the social and environmental sectors of the society. Also, the criteria were also evaluated and prioritized within the study area that formed different districts of Qom province. Accordingly, it was found that the spatial development of the central district of the province (Qom city) was mostly influenced by religious tourism in terms of 5 criteria out of the 8 criteria identified in the study, suggesting that Qom, as the hub of religious tourism of the province, outweighs other parts of the province in terms of development, which may cause some problems in the future for the development of tourism in Qom province. Manuscript profile