The Effect of Sensory Marketing on Brand Equity in the Tourism Industry (Case Study: Four and Five-Star Hotels in Tehran Province)

Today, tourism, as the largest service industry in terms of revenue, is considered an essential factor for economic development. One of the most critical measures that can cause the growth of the tourism industry to reduce the dependence of Iran's economy on oil revenues is the development of residences and hotels for the accommodation of travelers. The use of sensory marketing is one of the factors affecting the development of the hotel industry. Therefore, in this research, we examine the effect of sensory marketing on brand equity in the tourism industry by mediating the variables of brand experience, attitude, and attachment. The statistical population of this research includes foreign tourists who traveled to Tehran this spring and summer and stayed in four- and five-star hotels. Available non-random sampling method and questionnaire were used to collect data. Content validity was used to check the validity of the questionnaire, and Cronbach's alpha was used to check the reliability of the questionnaire.  Structural equation modeling was used through Smart PLS software to analyze the collected data. According to the obtained results, the tactile component has no significant effect on the brand experience, but all four components of sight, smell, taste, and hearing have a positive and significant impact on the brand experience. Other research hypotheses have also been confirmed.