Tourism Market Segmentation of Kish Free Zone: A New Approach to Brand Concept Map

The success of tourism destinations depends on a proper understanding of the brand image of individuals, but individuals have different mental images which are potentially the basis for segmentation in the tourism market. The present study is primarily an attempt to develop a brand concept map method that is done by refining it with an inventive algorithm, so the research is developmental in terms of purpose. Secondly, to apply the refined Brand Concept Map method in practice this method is used for the tourism brand of Kish Free Zone. The statistical population of the study is people in Tehran city in two groups of people who have visited and those who haven’t visited the Kish Free Zone. The available sampling method is used. The four-step of extraction, segmentation, mapping, and interpretation of mental maps will ultimately lead to the identification of seven segments for the Kish Free Zone Tourism Market. According to the results, there are four categories of luxury tourists, price-sensitive tourists, non-loyal tourists, and Eco-tourists among people who have visited Kish and there are three categories of shoppers, entertainers, and immigrant among people who haven’t visited Kish