Analyzing the Barriers of E-tourism Development in Iran Using the Fuzzy Interpretive Structural Modeling Approach

In recent years, information technology has changed the practical methods in all corporations especially in the tourism industry. Nowadays, information technology is considered as one of the most important factors of everyday running processes in the tourism industry as the result of facilitating such important activities as producing, gathering, processing, applying, and communicating information. Therefore, to realize the importance of e-tourism industry, identifying the barriers of its application can be the first step, which contributes to the process of comprehensive development of the tourism industry. The research has offered a model by combining qualitative (Delphi) and quantitative (the second order of the confirmatory factor analysis) approaches which can be used by managers as planning and decision making guidelines. The statistical population was divided into two categories. The first was tourism experts and senior managers. The sampling method was snowball, and the sample size was 10. The second was the staffs and managers of ICHHTO. Its sampling method was simple probability, and the sample size was 60. For the purpose of this research, seven main barriers and 21 secondary barriers were identified by reviewing the literature and using the Delphi technique. Then, the main research model was structured by using SMART PLS. Also, the economic barriers were recognized as the most effective barriers, and software, educational and behavioral barriers were recognized as the most influenced ones, based on the created model by using the FISM technique. As the results indicated, tourism planners and managers are able to take proper actions to develop E-tourism.