Cultural Tourism Development with an Emphasis on Historical Attractions: A Case Study of Historical Attractions of Isfahan

Tourism development as a cultural phenomenon develops the cultural exchange opportunities between tourists and host community. Form, structure, construction of public spaces, etc. are elements that shape the historical identity of cities and the construction of these buildings and many other urban constructions make urban areas more appealing. Cultural tourism is a move from people to visit cultural attractions with the aim to obtain new information and experience in order to satisfy the cultural needs. Isfahan can be considered as one of the world's major cities and a unique exception due to the body of the city, which can be regarded as a valuable solid unit carrying specific thinking and viewpoints. Isfahan is not only a crystallization of a worldview but because of its spatial variation, it is one of the most unique cities with dozens of historical, cultural, religious, and natural attractions. The current research is and applied and developmental one. For the cultural-historical tourism analysis of Isfahan, we provided indices in five dimensions of economic, competitive, social, and cultural, facilities and services and attraction. The defined standards and criteria were implemented and evaluated within the AHP models. Results showed that Naghsh-e Jahan Square has the first rank and Hasht-Behesht (the palace of eight paradises) has the second rank in the historical attractions of Isfahan. Also based on paired comparisons between criteria, social-cultural criteria and attractions have the highest priority; thus, they are influential in historical-cultural tourism development.