Designing a Model for Cultural Tourism Development with the Iranian Regional Music Approach

In order to understand the culture of the hosting community, one can use the regional music because it is very similar to the culture of that community. Attracting tourists based on folk music due to ethnic diversity in Iran seems to be a good solution, but it has not been considered as it is worthy. The issue of interest is how Iranian folk music can be fruitful in attracting cultural tourists. This research uses structuralist grounded theory method to study this type of music according to the attraction of cultural tourists. Data was collected through interviews, observation, online observation and collection of documents and texts within the framework of the grounded theory method and by purposeful sampling. Non-random face and selection of samples were in line with the purpose of the study. The number of samples was not known from the beginning and continued during data analysis until theoretical saturation was achieved. In this regard, interviews were conducted with Iranian regional music experts. The data obtained from interviews with experts and elites were coded (open, axial and selective) using NVIVO software and 37 concepts and 6 categories were taken out and “becoming a cultural attraction” became the central category and finally, with the paradigm model, the theory was presented. “Unawareness” and “understanding and infrastructure problems” are intervening factors. Designing events focused on folk music, joint festivals with other countries that share the same language due to cultural similarities, performing regional music in public places and designing travel packages with regional music approach are methods of developing music tourism.