extraction memorable experiences of tourists from rural tourism destinations (Case of study: Mashhad, Neyshabur and Torghabe- Shandiz counties)

While traveling, tourists are looking for memorable experiences and often their decisions are influenced by the same experiences they have gained from the destination. With aim of extraction the memorable experiences of tourists from rural destinations, ZMET approach was used. Based on theoretical saturation, an interview was conducted with 35 tourists who traveled to the villages of Mashhad, Neyshabur and Torghabe-Shandiz counties and had more than 83 mental involvements with these destinations. 9 originator constructs and 11 destination constructs were extracted, the most frequent originator construct was "natural landscape of the village", which created memorable experiences like"silence and peace","feeling of freshness and liberation"and "pleasantness"in tourists. The theoretical literature in the field of memorable experiences from rural destinations is very limited, so this study provides a new understanding regarding the formation of memorable experiences from rural destinations, which is used by managers of rural destinations to attract more tourists and loyalty.