Semantic mapping of the mental image of urban tourists

Urban tourism is a complex, multi-sectoral and dispersed activity, the product of which is the sale of tourists' experiences of the city's attractions, facilities and services. Paying attention to and organizing natural, human and visual factors influencing the beauty of the environment is the most effective way to increase the quality of the travel experience. Considering the undeniable necessity of mental image in attracting urban tourists and the role of this type of tourism in the economy, in this study, an attempt has been made to provide a qualitative model of factors affecting mental image with the aim of boosting urban tourism using semantic cognitive mapping method. For this purpose, after stating the subject, theoretical foundations and reviewing the research background, 30 interviews were conducted using the qualitative research design until the theoretical saturation was reached. The study population consists of urban tourists and tourism experts. Then, using the semantic cognitive mapping approach, a conceptual model was extracted and drawn from the dimensions and components of the mental image. The obtained semantic cognitive mapping has 6 main categories and 30 theoretical propositions that can help policymakers in policy making and better and deeper understanding of this concept.