Attraction and Repulsion Factors of Tourism Destinations with Emphasis on Inbound French Cultural Tourists’ Experiences in Iran

Choosing a tourist destination is a complex process and could be affected by various factors. Some of these factors depend on the destination and its characteristics. Recognizing the characteristics of the destination can guide stakeholders in the tourism industry to have a better view of the target markets and plan according to the tastes of the target market tourists. The present field study aimed at identifying the factors influencing the choice of Iran as a tourist destination from the perspective of French tourists who traveled to Iran in 2018. From this population, 385 tourists were selected using Cochran's formula. Their viewpoints were gathered using an online questionnaire. The results of the t-test showed that French tourists were more willing to communicate with the local community. It has also been shown that exchange rates and reasonable costs have played a major role alongside attractive Iranian hospitality. On the other hand, international problems arising from obtaining Iranian visas, inadequate roadside services, and cultural and religious restrictions were among the repulsive factors. Finally, using the Kendall test, we showed that the change in the attitude of tourists after the trip and encouraging their friends to travel to Iran have a significant correlation. 

The statistical population of this study was French tourists who traveled to Iran in 2018 for the purpose of cultural tourism. According to the statistical data of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts (MCTH), the number of these tourists in that year was 43,216. To determine the sample size, Cochran's formula with an error coefficient of 0.05 was used. Then, 385 tourists were selected as the sample size. Some support has also been received from two travel agencies, Clio and Intermed in France, which are active in the field of cultural tourism. Contact with French cultural tourists was not difficult since one of the researchers was a French-language cultural tourism guide. Due to his 10-years of experience with French cultural tourists, he has been in contact with many tourists who have traveled to Iran for cultural purposes. For this reason, the researcher had contact with around 100 tourists who had traveled to Iran in 2018. The rest of the sample members were introduced to the researcher through the two above-mentioned agencies. To collect the data for this study, a survey method was used. As shown in the theoretical foundations of the research, the motivation for traveling to Iran as a tourist destination was considered. In addition, the metrics of contextual variables including characteristics such as age, gender, education, occupation, religion, and the destination image were considered as the potential factors affecting tourists’ behaviors. All these measures have been studied through a research questionnaire. It was used to collect the data online. 

French tourists incoming to Iran have some difficulties in terms of obeying religious laws and observing the hijab. Therefore, the factor of religion is a strong repulsive factor for young tourists and less repulsive for older tourists because older tourists have accepted it as an Islamic norm. More than half of the tourists were women. Thus, gender also acted as a repulsive factor in terms of observing the hijab, especially for younger women. On the other hand, the high average age of tourists necessitates the improvement of infrastructures and facilities for older tourists. For example, the welfare services around the attractions roads were considered a repulsive factor, which caused many problems for the tourists of any age. For this reason, service complexes of high quality should be provided around all tourist attractions. Most of the tourists surveyed also stated that they earn more than 25,000 euros a year. Most of them have stayed in 4- or 5-star hotels and showed a high degree of satisfaction, which is partially in line with international standards. 

In summary, the results showed that despite the negative effect of sanctions, hotels have been able to provide services to tourists with high quality in Iran's tourist destinations. In addition, tourists tend to communicate with the local community and enjoy cultural diversity. Indeed, by providing some training courses to the Iranian local communities, they can be prepared for better interaction with tourists. Working on their language level is also a determining factor. Another repulsive factor was inactivity in the field of advertising. This issue, which has different types and forms, can be less expensive, easier, and more effective to improve today than in the past. One of the advertising types that can be easily done today is awareness through websites and virtual networks. Most tourists use websites for gathering relevant information. However, Iran has not been able to have a standard tourism database. Social media can also attract and reassure many tourists by shortening the relationship between consumers and suppliers of various goods and services and eliminating negative images such as insecurity. The mental image of tourists towards the destination before the trip was not very clear and desirable, while they have stated that their mental image of Iran after the trip has changed dramatically.Keywords: Motivation, Attraction and Repulsion Factors, Iran Tourism Destination, French Tourists.