Effective Factors on Urban Brand and Their Prioritization from Perspective of International Tourists (Case Study: Tehran's Milad Tower)

Urban tourism is a part of international tourism market having the most development potential in the recent years. In 2015, tourists’ willingness to visit Iran and its historical and cultural attractions and symbols has been increased. Tehran, as the capital, is the most suitable alternative of urban tourism destination for international tourists. Its urban attractive symbols have had important role in this regard; therefore, the main purpose of this research is to identify and determine prioritization of Tehran Milad Tower brand aspects from perspective of international tourists. This research is descriptive-survey, with applied purpose, by using documentary and field studies. To collect data, questionnaire was used; it was distributed among international visitors of Tehran Milad Tower during September to November 2015. At first, primary questionnaire was distributed as pilot among a group of 30 international visitors of Milad Tower, and its validity and reliability were confirmed. Then, revised questionnaires, including 20 items, were distributed among 240 people as sample based on available sampling. Data were analyzed by using Friedman test and SPSS software. The results indicated that popularity of brand name, with the ranking average of 4.98, as the most important priority in choosing a visiting place, was identified from perspective of tourists.