Indigenous Requirements Set for Development of Religious-Historical Tourism in Zanjan, Iran

 Religious-historical tourism is considered an important factor in urban development; because it has a high potential to attract tourists and is considered one of the most important and prosperous types of tourism, which has significant effects on various dimensions of society. This study aimed to investigate the indigenous requirements set for the development of religious-historical tourism in Zanjan.

 This descriptive-analytical research is applied in terms of purpose and qualitative in terms of method, which was conducted in Zanjan, Iran, in 2021-2022. 17 experts (specialists, university professors, and Zanjan city managers) were selected for interviews in the framework of final theoretical saturation, using purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using the Grounded theory method.

 39 concepts, 12 semantic units, and 8 categories (advertising, integrated tourism management, infrastructure development, strengthening the culture of tourism, utilization of specialized forces, rules and regulations, development of a strategic plan, and tourism crisis management) were extracted from the interviews with experts using contextual theory.

 Religious-historical tourism has been effective in Zanjan city development in terms of developing an indigenous model. The proposed suggestions in the form of categories are important to the sustainable development of religious-historical tourism in Zanjan city.