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        1 - Prioritizing Motivations of Iraqi Tourists Visiting the Holy City of Mashhad
         
        Though discussions about tourists’ motivations have witnessed many investigations in recent years, research regarding motivations for religious tourism is in its infancy. Researchers have not reached an exact consensus in distinguishing religious and pilgrimage tourism. More
        Though discussions about tourists’ motivations have witnessed many investigations in recent years, research regarding motivations for religious tourism is in its infancy. Researchers have not reached an exact consensus in distinguishing religious and pilgrimage tourism. Success in destination marketing requires a thorough analysis of tourists’ motivations. Therefore, the current study surveyed and prioritized motivations of Iraqi tourists. The study is based on library research, and the use of a questionnaire. In this study, 385 questionnaires were distributed among Iraqi tourists entering the city of Mashhad. 10 hidden variable and 38 items or questions were analyzed. After the final review, 247 questionnaires were accepted. Demographic variables were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Confirmatory factor analysis was used in analyzing the main variables. Data validity, reliability, and goodness of fit were approved and the Friedman test was used to rank the factors. The results showed that spirituality and self-actualization motives were of the highest priority. Other motivations were: visiting historic-cultural attractions; gaining respect and prestige; family reasons; searching for safety and relaxation; enjoying recreation and leisure; and learning and curiosity motivations. Pull factors were religio-cultural motivations, leisure attractions, and structural features, respectivesly. Manuscript profile
      • Open Access Article

        2 - Investigating the Factors Affecting the Local Community's Life Quality in Religious Tourism Destinations: A Case Study of Shiraz
        Abbas Javidian
        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
      • Open Access Article

        3 - A Formal and Contentual Review of Pilgrimage and Religious Tourism Studies in Iran (2003-2021)
        Neda Razavizadeh somaye varshoe
        Having a long-standing tradition in the Iranian and Shiite communities, pilgrimage and religious travels have considerably increased throughout the last two decades with a boom in tourism. In this regard, many studies have been carried out on different aspects of pilgri More
        Having a long-standing tradition in the Iranian and Shiite communities, pilgrimage and religious travels have considerably increased throughout the last two decades with a boom in tourism. In this regard, many studies have been carried out on different aspects of pilgrimage, addressing both managerial aspects of the pilgrimage destinations and the experiences reported by the pilgrims. However, while several review articles have already been published in English-language journals on pilgrimage studies, no such article could be found in the Iranian -Persian academic journals concerning pilgrimage and religious trips made in Iran. Therefore, this article sought to examine the formal and contentual features of the Persian scientific-research papers on pilgrimage and religious tourism published in Iranian Journals, trying to identify the research gaps in this regard. To this end, the relevant articles published from 2003 to 2021 in Iranian journals accredited by Iran’s Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology using a systematic review and content analysis method. Then, the features of the collected papers were examined in terms of spatial distribution, frequency, geographical distribution, authors’ characteristics (gender, frequency, and field of study), and methodology (research method, data sources, data collection tools, observation unit, sampling method, and statistical tests). Finally, the papers were categorized in terms of their relationship with the Parsons’ social systems, introducing the over-researched and under-researched areas and the research gaps in the Iranian pilgrimage and religious tourism studies so that new ideas and research topics be offered for novel studies and the development of knowledge in this regard. Manuscript profile