نشریه مطالعات اجتماعی گردشگری
سال دهم شماره 1 (بهار و تابستان 1401)

Identifying the behavioral patterns of applicants and suppliers of tourism products in different destinations is considered as one of the most important marketing tools. Therefore, This study sought to develop a model for investigating the supply and demand behavior in tourism based on the developments made in the capitalist system. Accordingly, to identify and classify the factors regarding the behavioral changes in the supply and demand system within the tourism industry with regard to the capitalist system's developments, the relevant literature was systematically reviewed using the meta-synthesis approach. The statistical population of the study comprised all studies published in reliable scientific databases related to this study's topic. The findings of the study indicated that the supply and demand behavior in the tourism industry has changed in line with the developments made in the capitalist system from Fordism to Post-Fordism. Accordingly, behavioral changes in the tourism demand can be defined based on three components, namely planning, tourism products, and features. Also, the behavioral changes of tourism supply can be defined based on four components including the economy, planning, tourism products, structure, and function. This study prepared the ground for identifying the behavioral pattern of supply and demand in tourism by measuring and evaluating the behavioral model of supply and demand in tourism based on the capitalist system's developments, directing the development of tourism in different regions.

In today's competitive environment, companies have to use a variety of new communication methods to maintain profitable relationships with their customers. Therefore, this cross-sectional study which was based on the principles of interpretivism (social constructivism), sought to develop a paradigm model for integrated marketing communication in travel agencies and tourism offices using grounded theory. The study period lasted from the beginning of 2020 to June 2020 and used interviews for collecting the required data. To this end, 12 detailed non-structured interviews were conducted on scientific-practical experts, including job experts in the tourism industry and university professors using the judgmental method. The collected data were then divided into fifty-two primary codes, fifteen sub-categories, and six core categories according to the open, axial, and selective coding using MAXQDA qualitative data analysis software. The study's results indicated that integrated marketing communications in travel agencies were derived from integrated analysis (causal conditions) and were influenced by contextual requirements (technical-individual), being able to produce the required outputs (purchasing, repurchasing, and creating the integrated marketing communications' recommended value in the travel and tourism industry) for realizing the central phenomenon if suitable strategies are adopted (aligning hardware and software tools in terms of optimal use of advertisement's mixed communication tools). Moreover, the intervening factors were determined by identifying environmental conditions-related categories using the textual data collected from the interviewees. Finally, the selected coding was performed according to the definition of the five assumptions obtained.

The tourism industry, with its own characteristics, is a dynamic industry with a bright future. Investing in this industry could play an important role in increasing national income while being free from adverse environmental consequences. Due to the increasing importance of tourism, it is necessary to analyze its impact on other dimensions. Possessing special potentials, the Yazd city is highly affected by different economic, social, environmental, and physical aspects of the tourism industry. As the Yazd province enjoys the required capacities for performing activities such as climbing, visiting the sand dunes and sand flows, hiking in the slopes of Shirkouh, etc., effective steps can be taken for improving tourist attractions through accurate and well-reflected planning. Therefore, this study sought to identify relevant factors, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats involved in developing sustainable tourism, elaborating on an appropriate model for realizing this goal and analyzing a community-based tourism capacity building in Yazd. The required data for this "descriptive-analytical" study were collected from library studies, relevant documents, and the questionnaire administered on 50 experts and staff members of active tourism NGOs, which were analyzed and weighted using the SWOT-AHP integrated model. The investigated indices included attracting public participation (public mobilization) with a total average of 4/4, facilitating (offering information), institutionalizing and empowering local groups with a total average of 4/3, enhancing collective partnership system with a total average of 4/2, identifying entrepreneurship and job opportunities, and local needs analysis and its update, indicating that tourism NGOs possess high capacities for implementing community-based tourism in Yazd.

Supply chains have evolved over time from improving supply-side processes to meeting customer needs and value chains. The fact that the tourism industry's customers want to get an integrated product requires an interactive framework for value creation among different stakeholders, the realization of which has always faced some barriers. As the Internet and the development of the tourism's electronic supply chain provide an interactive platform for integration, this study sought to identify the factors involved in the integration of the supply chain and to find out how to create value through the chain. To this end, a framework was proposed based on the categories, sub-categories, and concepts presented in previous studies using the meta-synthesis method. Having reviewed 175 abstracts, t119 items were examined in terms of the Critical Assessment Skills Program checklist, and 35 items were investigated in terms of their content. The study's findings indicated that different types of internal and external drivers and barriers affected the macro environment, chain, and different aspects of internal integration, suppliers (external), and customers. Therefore, it could be argued that the integration of the supply chain and co-creation of value leads to value creation for all stakeholders and that the electronic supply chain provides the interactive grounds for integration, co-creation, and value creation.

Ecotourism is a sustainable strategy for earning revenues while preserving natural resources. Therefore, this study set out to provide a framework for developing ecotourism in Kermanshah province's target tourism villages using grounded theory. The required data were collected via semi-structured interviews with 20 experts who were selected through snowball sampling. The collected data were then analyzed in Maxqda12 software using open coding, axial coding, and selective coding approach, resulting in 433 codes, 124 concepts, 23 sub-categories, and 6 main categories. The main categories of the model included causal categories (participatory, economic, regional attractions and potentials, policy, social and cultural, managerial, infrastructure, ecotourism services and facilities, and the core category of ecotourism development), intervening categories (economic, managerial, and educational), strategic categories (economic and educational), and consequential categories (positive and negative economic consequences, and social, cultural and environmental consequences) were grouped together in a paradigmatic framework.

Purchasing is a new type of tourism that is considered as one of the main activities of tourists. This study sought to investigate the effect of shopping centers' features, traveling options, and the tourist destination's economic and social characteristics on tourists’ satisfaction of and tendency to purchase from shopping centers with an emphasis on comparing tourists and pilgrims visiting Mashhad's traditional and modern shopping centers (Bazaar Reza and Almas-e-Sharq). To this end, 404 questionnaires were administered during the summer of 2019, using multiple logit analyses to identify the relevant factors. The study's results indicated that variables such as background information concerning the shopping center, the number of family members accompanying a person in travel, seller`s appropriate treatment, the existence of parking lots, quality of the product, marital status, geographical location, income, and product variety had a significant effect on tourists' tendency to purchase from shopping centers. Therefore, to increase the tourists' satisfaction of and willingness to purchase from shopping centers, the following steps are recommended to be taken: constructing shopping centers in places that are easier to access for the tourists; Exercising stricter supervision on prices of different products and services; equipping the shopping centers with parking lots that are capacious enough, and providing the shopping centers with diverse various goods and services.

This descriptive-analytical study sought to investigate the socio-economic impacts of religious tourism on the spatial development of Qom province, using a researcher-developed questionnaire designed via Analytical Hierarchy Process to collect its required data. To this end, the required criteria were developed at two levels: the economic level comprising of five sub-criteria, including "Increase in employment, increase in incomes, reduction in inflation, increase in regional production", and: private sector participation", and the social level comprising three sub-criteria, including "Increasing the security, increasing the social culture, improving services and infrastructure". The results of surveying the priority of these criteria indicated the high impact of the economic element of tourism on the spatial development of Qom province. According to experts, the more economic power the people have, the better its impact would be on the social and environmental sectors of the society. Also, the criteria were also evaluated and prioritized within the study area that formed different districts of Qom province. Accordingly, it was found that the spatial development of the central district of the province (Qom city) was mostly influenced by religious tourism in terms of 5 criteria out of the 8 criteria identified in the study, suggesting that Qom, as the hub of religious tourism of the province, outweighs other parts of the province in terms of development, which may cause some problems in the future for the development of tourism in Qom province.

Religious tourism is one of the five main branches of tourism according to the World Trade Organization. The popularity of pilgrimage has increased in recent decades, and religious tourism has been an important part of the dynamics of the world tourism economy. Therefore, this applied descriptive-survey study sought to segment and determine the psychological-demographic and behavioral profile of Karbala pilgrims attending the annual Arbaeen rituals. The statistical population of the study comprised of the pilgrims of Karbala who have traveled through the borders of Khuzestan province to attend the Arbaeen rituals. The neural network algorithm was used to analyze the data via self-organizing maps. The study's findings indicated that there were three different groups of pilgrims with different travel motives, who were categorized as a) being more tourist than a pilgrim (tourist pilgrim), b) being more pilgrim than a tourist (pilgrim tourist), and c) pilgrims. These three groups of tourists were named after leisureists, enthusiasts of various activities, and religious people, suggesting that each type of pilgrim had its own psychological, demographic, and behavioral characteristics. Therefore, marketing strategies for developing tourism activities should be set based on the characteristics of each type of tourist.

Favorable climatic conditions are the most important information that nature tourists need to choose their destination. Moreover, one of tourism climatologists' goals is to identify different types of climates that affect tourism. Therefore, this study sought to investigate the relationship between climatic variables, climate-related indicators, and tourism in the most important tourist destinations of Astara, including Heyran mountain pass and Bibiyanlou forest park in terms of Tourism Climate Index (TCI) and Holiday Climate Index (HCI), using indices such as temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, cloud cover, and wind speed during a 15-year period (2005-2020). The results of the monthly survey of the TCI index showed that the region had a good rank in this regard in October (TCI = 65) and July (TCI = 69), a very good rank (TCI = 79) in May, and an excellent rank (TCI = 80) in June. Moreover, the results of the HCI showed that January and July had good ratings (with their HCI values being 69 and 65, respectively). The months of June and February (HCI = 75) had very good ranks, the months of May and April had excellent ranks (with their HCI values being 89 and 85, respectively), and the month of March had an ideal rank (HCI = 93). It was also found that in the early spring and summer (corresponding to the holiday season) when the climatic conditions were more favorable, the region was more visited by tourists. However, the region would probably be less welcomed by the tourists during the working and exam seasons. The results of the present study could be helpful in improving tourism activities based on climatic conditions, managing tourism in terms of providing the tourists with the required equipment and their needs during the tourism peaks, and providing for the required infrastructure to overcome the difficulties and attract tourists at other times.

This applied library study sought to examine five Iranian research journals in the field of tourism from a methodological perspective. The population of the study comprised of all articles published from 2016 to 2020 in the aforementioned journals, including the Journal of Tourism and Development, Social Studies of Tourism Journal, Tourism planning and Development journal, Urban Tourism journal, and Tourism Management journal. No sampling was utilized, and all the components of the study's population were examined via the census. Accordingly, some 814 articles were examined in terms of the number of articles published per year, the research approach, the data analysis method, the data collection tools, data collection method, research area, the number of authors per article, the geographical areas studied, and the corresponding author's organizational affiliation and major. The findings showed that the largest number of published articles within the recent five editions belonged to the Journal of Tourism and Development and that most of the articles were focused on Iran's northern and central provinces. It was also found that researchers in the fields of geography and urban planning had great contributions to the articles published on the subject of tourism. Moreover, in terms of the corresponding author's affiliation, the greatest number of published articles belonged to Allameh Tabatabai University and Tehran University, respectively. Also, most of the published articles were descriptive-applied in terms of purpose and quantitative in terms of research method (structural equations), with 61% of them using a questionnaire to collect their required data.

The main purpose of this article was to investigate the role of social and cultural empowerment in institutionalizing smart programs of Iran's tourism industry and identify the components of smart tourism in Iran's urban destinations. As a mixed-method research, this study used contractual qualitative content analysis within its qualitative phase and a survey in its quantitative phase. As for the qualitative phase, 13 Iranian tourism managers were selected and interviewed through targeted and snowball sampling. Moreover, to conduct the quantitative phase, 390 travel agency experts were selected via convenience sampling, using Cochran's formula. The results of analyzing the data via structural equation modeling with the partial least squares approach showed that all observable and hidden variables were significant at the level of 0/05, all of which were confirmed. Furthermore, socio-cultural empowerment, smart governance, development of new smart technologies applications, and comprehensive smart tourism services were identified as components of the smart tourism industry in Iran. In addition, based on the Stone-Geisser index, the redundancy index of the social and cultural empowerment component was calculated to be 0/523 and based on its value in the final model (0/528), the strong predictive power of the model was confirmed.

Religious tourism has long been welcomed by many tourists and individuals, creating changes in the host community's quality of life through changing human interactions. Therefore, this descriptive survey study sought to identify and rank the factors involved in the local community's quality of life in Shiraz as a religious tourism destination using the fuzzy cognitive mapping approach. To this end, two types of statistical population groups were used. The first group comprised of experts in the field of religious tourism in Shiraz who were selected judiciously and purposefully to adjust and determine the intended factors. Then, a matrix questionnaire was administered to the second group which comprised thirty indigenous workers in the field of religious tourism. Then, the data and scenarios were analyzed using the fuzzy cognitive mapping technique, and the research model was designed using social network analysis. The results showed that there are several factors involved in improving the local community's quality of life in Shiraz, including increasing welfare, increasing investments, and a sense of belonging among residents and tourists, respectively.