Identifying and Conceptualizing the Quality of Religious Experience of Tourist (The Case of Foreign Tourists in the City of Qom)

A tourist destination for competitive advantage must ensure that all the tourist attractions and experiences that have been offered so far are different from other destinations that the tourist is considering. Therefore, the quality of the tourist experience is one of the key competitive advantages for attracting tourists to a tourism destination. In the meantime, no comprehensive research has been carried out on the quality of the religious experience of the tourist. Regarding the religious situation of the holy city of Qom, activities have not been carried out on the religious experience of the city in this city so that the religious advantage of the city of Qom could be used to promote the tourism of this city and provide a suitable religious experience for its tourists. Therefore, the present research seeks to identify and conceptualize the quality of religious experience of the tourist. This research is a descriptive and survey oriented method for the purpose of application. The statistical population of the study was all foreign tourists of Qom who visited Qom in April and May 2017. To determine the sample size, the Kumer and Lee patterns were used and the sample size was 500. Combination sampling method was used to select the members of the statistical sample. Data were collected by using two library methods for reviewing the literature and the field method (distribution and collecting questionnaire). Validity of the questionnaire was measured by the experts and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha. Data analysis was done by exploratory factor analysis using SPSS software. The results and findings of the research showed that the quality of religious experience of the tourist includes five dimensions of religious, psychological, pilgrimage, ethical-worship and cultural-social interactions. The study of these dimensions in the research community showed that all aspects except the cultural-social interactions are in a good condition.