عبدالمهدی شیرشمسی

Considering the importance of using e-marketing to introduce attractions and considering the high potential of tourism in Yazd province, this article has been done with the aim of designing and validating the e-marketing model in the tourism industry of Yazd province. The present study has been integrated with an approach and has been carried out by a combined method or a mixed method. In this study, by using the research method of thematic analysis and conducting interviews with 14 experts in the tourism industry of the province, the factors affecting electronic marketing in the tourism industry of Yazd province are identified and categorized. The results of the interviews are analyzed by content analysis method and the quantitative part is tested by structural equation modeling. A total of 679 codes were identified by initial coding in open coding, which reached 56 concepts by screening primary codes and were classified into 12 main categories in centralized coding, including technological infrastructure, strategic planning, e-commerce learning, and high tourism potential. Province, the importance of providing tourism information, e-marketing, recognizing tourist attractions, branding, reducing the cost of access to the target market, growth and prosperity of tourism, job creation, increasing competitiveness. The results of structural equation modeling showed that the effect of all independent variables on the development of e-marketing in the tourism industry of Yazd province has been positive and significant. As a result, the model obtained from this research can be effective in the development of electronic marketing in the tourism industry. The findings will also help researchers and policymakers implement e-marketing in the tourism industry.

Tourism, is one of the fastest growing economic sectors and plays an important role in the growth and development of economic activities in many countries; therefore, it is important to use their capabilities in tourism development. One of the factors that can develop and improve the tourism industry is the use of effective marketing tools and parameters, especially e-marketing. In the field of tourism, all planning activities, preparation of tourism products and tourist attraction include e-marketing operations and activities. In this regard, combining marketing elements is one of the important steps in developing a marketing strategy and one of the main tasks of marketers. Finally, it can be said that the purpose of tourism marketing is to identify and anticipate the needs of tourists and provide facilities and motivate visitors to visit them, which will ensure the satisfaction of tourists and achieve organizational goals. Yazd is also one of the historical cities of the country and in terms of natural features such as having high mountains (Shirkuh) and deserts and low holes and vast plains with diverse environment (Bahadoran, Herat and Marvast plains) and many other tourist attractions with national monuments are still unknown to many people in the country and the world. One of the reasons for the lack of success in the development of tourism in this city is the weakness of electronic advertising and marketing and the lack of continuous information to identify attractions in the national and international electronic space. Due to the advantages of the new e-marketing method compared to traditional ones, it is necessary to use the advantages of this method with a model designed for e-marketing to develop the tourism industry in Yazd city. In this regard, the present study is a percentage to answer the following question: What is the effect of e-marketing model on the tourism industry?

This research is an applied and descriptive-analytical one in terms of purpose and method, respectively. The statistical population of this study includes experts in the field of tourism. The sample size was 35 people who were selected by snowball method. Factors such as location, advertising, evidence and physical facilities, management and planning, staff, people, products, and price were examined in this regard. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data.

As can be seen from the results, the significance of all dimensions is evident. But some questions have a t value less than 1.96. Therefore, in response to the research questions, it can be said that all the factors identified in this research, which are mentioned in the questionnaire (appendices), except for questions 12, 15 and 44 have a significant effect on e-tourism marketing. The four factors (questions 12, 15, and 44) ​​whose effects were not confirmed are:Direct supervision of airlines and hoteliers on the sites to adjust costs and eliminate intermediaries, and the use of tourism symbols and places in movies or cartoons and computer games, respectively. Equipping Yazd hotels with smartphones to open and close the door, turn on and off switches and sockets, use other hotel facilities and contain maps of tourist attractions.Factor loads greater than 0.4 indicate a stronger effect of factors on tourism marketing. All dimensions have a factor load greater than 0.4, which once again confirms the significance of their effect. However, some questions (questions 20, 27 and 42), such as the previous step, have a factor load of less than 0.4. This shows that these factors also do not have a significant effect on e-tourism marketing in Yazd. These three factors are: advertisements of tourism photos and clips in personal blogs and travel agencies, electronic restaurants with touch desks or ordering kiosks, revolution in sanitary services (such as children's rooms, door intelligence, siphons, valves, butchers, etc.).

The results obtained from the analysis of research data show that the existence of virtual tours (virtual tour) for tourism areas of Yazd; computer simulation of recreational and historical sites with the ability to connect to the real environment (e-information); providing links to health centers, embassies, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tourism organizations, liaison with the police and necessary telephone calls to tourists; training centers to provide internet maps of all roads, bus stations, railways, terminals and airports; provide weather forecast sites; providing online map of Yazd tourism places, providing sites about culture, art, music, handicrafts of Yazd, providing e-visa services in embassies, consulates and airports are among the effective factors related to the product or service on the growth and development of e-tourism marketing in Yazd.