Assessment of Tourist Attractions Impact on Strengthening the Tourism Axis of Ziarat, Gorgan City

Ziarat tourist, due to its cool and moderate climate, unique landscapes, beautiful forests, excellent tourism and recreational facilities, and its close proximity to Gorgan city, offers fascinating ecological landscapes and various cultural, historical, and socio-economic attractions. This village is considered one of the significant natural-historical and tourist areas of Gorgan city. The aim of the current research is to investigate and determine the tourist attractions located in Ziarat in order to develop strategic plans and enhance tourism. The research approach is of an applied-developmental nature, and the method of investigation is descriptive-analytical. To gather the required information, a combination of library research and fieldwork (questionnaire) methods has been utilized. For data analysis and testing the research variables, SPSS statistical software has been used alongside t-tests, and the Amos software has been employed for structural equation modeling. The results of the t-test indicate that the historical-architectural index possesses a higher level, while the infrastructure index has a lower level compared to other tourism indices. The results of the structural equation modeling (Amos) indicate that the environmental attractions dimension has the highest factor loading of 0.90, followed by the cultural attractions dimension, and then the physical-historical attractions dimension. The infrastructure dimension has played the most significant role in explaining the tourist attractions' appeal to residents and experts in Ziarat.