Investigating the effect of tourism brand equity on tourist loyaltyCase study: Iran belongs to Tehran

In the 21st century, the competition of cities to attract more tourists has become more important. Tourist attractions in urban destinations have become more similar due to the impact of globalization and the emphasis on branding as a tangible and physical element, especially in urban destinations. This has made it difficult to compete to differentiate tourist attraction. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to identify and prioritize the factors affecting the special value of Iran Mall tourism destination brand from the perspective of tourists. This research was descriptive and survey type. The statistical population of the study includes all potential Iranian tourists who have visited Iranmal in the period from October 1 to November 20, 2016. In the present study, a simple random sampling method has been used. Also, in order to determine the sample size, Sample Power software was used and 160 people were determined as the sample size. The results show that brand awareness with a coefficient of 0.410, brand image with a coefficient of 0.235 and perceived quality with a coefficient of 0.212 have the greatest impact on brand equity. Also, brand equity with a path coefficient of 0.540, brand image with a path coefficient of 0.203 and perceived value with a path coefficient of 0.164 and perceived quality with a path coefficient of 0.101 have the greatest impact on brand loyalty. Therefore, it is clear that brand equity along with the criteria of brand image, perceived value, and perceived quality can lead to loyalty to the destination brand.