A Reflection of Pilgrims Accommodation in Mashhad

Accommodation is an integralcomponent of hospitality services and¡ since its quality has a great effect on travel experience it is an important issuesabout which all tourists shouldmake decision. Mashhad is known as a destination that provides pilgrims with various types of accommodation choices. In order to draw a clear picture of Iranian pilgrims'' accommodation pattern in Mashhad¡ Iran¡ the data of the previously conducted research «Iranian Pilgrims accommodationquality and preferences in Mashhad» was used for performing secondary analysis. Statistical population comprises all Iranian pilgrims visiting Mashhad in 3 seasons of 1389 and first season of 1390 (2010-2011) of which 1600 pilgrims were selectedusing systematic random sampling. Inspiring from Cohen''s typology of tourists based on the sociological concept of «institution» ¡ types of accommodations were categorized. Findingsindicate that accommodation is the most important issue for 81. 85% of pilgrims. For those pilgrims who paid for accommodation¡ its cost ranked first among all travel costs¡ about one-third of total costs (35%). The average cost of accommodation per capita in Mashhad was 515000 Rials. In regard with accommodation choice¡ 27. 5% of pilgrims chose their accommodation with no pre arrangement¡ while 23% found it based on their previous experience and 17. 5 % used brokers services. The rest 11. 5% were introduced to accommodation settings by governmental authorities like the municipality accommodation officeand pilgrims'' guide bureau or booked residential placeat home. Among all aspectsof accommodation places¡ pilgrims were mostly satisfied with the security.