Tourism market segmentation based on travel motivations(Case study: Ardabil, Sarein and Meshkinshahr cities)

Domestic tourism plays a key role in the tourism industry. With the global boom and expansion of the tourism industry, an increasing number of regions in developing countries have recognized the importance of tourism as an important factor in the development of the regional economy. As a bridge between the West and the East, Iran has a special place in the field of tourism in terms of special geographical conditions in the region and the Middle East, in terms of special geographical conditions in the region and the Middle East. Indeed, the expansion of economic, health, security and communication infrastructure in the 21st century has made tourism an inevitable reality in human life. Ardabil is one of the cities of Iran and the capital of Ardabil province in northwestern Iran. Ardabil province, due to its unique historical and geographical conditions, has many tourist attractions and in different seasons of the year, it receives many tourists from different parts of the country. The climatic attractions of Ardabil province are richer in spring and summer than in winter; Also, in terms of topography, Ardabil province has very strong potentials in the mountainous part. The province has many attractions. Sarein and Meshkinshahr are also two tourist cities in Ardabil province that attract many tourists to this province every year due to their pristine and eye-catching nature and warm waters. Tourism market segmentation is one of the important measures that can help marketers and planners of tourism destinations in identifying the needs and wants of tourists. The basis of tourism market segmentation is based on the concept that tourism markets are composed of different and diverse groups of tourists that members of each of these groups needs, wants, interests, personality, travel behavior, shopping style and have the same reactions to the variables of a tourism product or service offered. Segmentation serves as an important strategic tool for tourism marketers and provides practical insights into targeting, positioning and competitive analysis. Customer segmentation into different groups and identifying the characteristics of each group helps us to adopt better marketing approaches and on the other hand creates creative ideas.

The current research is a descriptive survey in terms of data collection. Also, considering that the purpose of this research is to segment the tourism market based on the travel motives of tourists, it is practical in terms of the purpose. The statistical population of this study consists of domestic tourists visiting the cities of Ardabil, Sarein and Meshkinshahr between the first of May and the end of July 2017.Sampling was done using available sampling method and the required sample size was calculated based on Cochran's formula for an unlimited population, 384 people, and the number of samples were equally divided between three cities of Ardabil, Sarein, Meshkinshahr. In order to distribute the questionnaires, the prominent tourist areas of these three cities were visited in person during the specified time period.

Chi-square test was used to examine the differences between clusters based on demographic characteristics. The results show that there is a significant difference between all clusters based on demographic characteristics at the 95% confidence level. alsoIn this research, only the travel satisfaction variable has been used as a psychological characteristic. The results indicate that there is a significant difference between the clusters in terms of travel satisfaction at the 95% confidence level. The selected behavioral variables in this research included visit experience, travel companions, length of stay and source of information. The results indicate that at the 95% confidence level, there is a significant difference between all clusters in terms of behavioral characteristics. Except for cluster 4, in the rest of the clusters, more than half of the people have experienced revisiting.

As a general conclusion, it can be said that in general, the cities of Ardabil, Sarein and Meshkinshahr have many tourist attractions in most areas. Offered. For example, due to the importance of the family cluster compared to other clusters, it is necessary to create safe, comfortable and suitable environments for families, or due to the fact that the second cluster was emotional in importance, creating exciting environments or at least creating safe and clear paths. Equipping them for mountaineering will help attract more travelers to these areas. In any case, it should be noted that the most important step in the development of the tourism market is the development and improvement of urban infrastructure, attracting capital and increasing the culture of tourism among the general public. The existence of differences in motivations and goals and in general demographic factors and psychological characteristics of tourists and their behavioral patterns, clarifies the need for knowledge and knowledge of planners and trustees of tourism affairs of these characteristics. This knowledge provides a better understanding of tourism and is a valuable guide for designing more effective development plans. The main reason for the study of the motivations of tourists in choosing a tourist destination is that measuring the motivations of tourists allows us to understand the preferences and needs of tourists. Understanding what motivates tourists to choose a destination and what they tend to experience is in fact a set of vital information very important for tourism planners to improve the quality of visitor experiences and their satisfaction. If a careful study of the motives and desires of tourists in choosing different tourist destinations is not done, the desires and needs of tourists will always remain unknown and tourists will lose their satisfaction from traveling to these destinations. The results of this study show that one of the appropriate methods of market segmentation is to base the motivational factors of visitors; But this variable alone does not provide the marketer with complete information about the obtained sections.