GEOGRAPHICAL JOURNAL OF TOURISM SPACE
Year:2016 | Volume:5 | Issue:17|Papers Count:8

Tabriz due to its ecotourism, historical, and cultural attractions has the potential to attract tourists from both other countries and within Iran. Thus, it is necessary to develop a comprehensive tourism plan as well as the essential infrastructures and services needed by tourists visiting this city. The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors which may affect the satisfactions of tourists who visit Tabriz. The data were collected through questionnaires and were analyzed using the SPSS software. The results showed a significant correlation (r = 98%, sig = 0.000) between the services and tourists’ satisfaction. Based on the obtained results, 88 percent of the participants were satisfied with the services and 95 percent of them were willing to visit Tabriz again. It was concluded that accommodation, food, and entertainment, as well as the quality and quantity of services would affect tourists’ willingness to visit Tabriz again. Also, weather conditions, commercial centers, and parks were marked as the satisfaction indexes of tourism in Tabriz.

Sports Tourism is also considered as a part of tourism that is created as a combination of sport and tourism, and is growing at a rapid rate and becoming a major and independent industry. One of the problems of the tourism in Iran, including Isfahan, is the imbalance in space organization and lack of hierarchy based on the interaction between tourism areas. Leveling of tourism infrastructure in different areas of a city and a balanced distribution of infrastructure and moderating inequality in different areas are of the important tourism development activities. The purpose of this study was to level 15 districts in Isfahan regarding sport tourism infrastructure. The study was descriptive for data collection and for analysis of statistics Isfahan TOPSIS model was used. The findings showed that the fourteen, thirteen and fifteen, were in the first three levels while nine, four and six were located in the last three levels of sport tourism infrastructure. The results of the findings showed that Isfahan is deprived in terms of sports infrastructure.

Making efforts to create an industrial ecosystem around a new competitive perspective is a risky task. With modern economy, it seems that companies should think beyond competition. The tourism industry is not an exception either. Sport tourism, is a leading industry in a lot of countries in the world with a rate of 10% development per year. Thus, it seems necessary to devise a proper strategy in this industry. One of the newest strategic models is "Blue Ocean Strategy" that was introduced by Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne in 2004. This research was carried out to codify this strategy in sport tourism industry. The method of this study was analytical–descriptive. For collecting data, a questionnaire was made the validity of which had been approved by experts and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha (a=0.84). The 80 participants of this research consisted of university professors and M.A. students of Semnan University. Since some of the participants were not accessible, only 40 completed questionnaires were returned. The results of this study proved the priority of strategic actions in decision making model framework in creation, deletion, increasing and decreasing indicators. The obtained results can be used by officials and decision-makers to make the best use of sport tourism industry in our country.

The present research attempted to represent a clear picture of the capabilities and capacities of the under study area. The research method was descriptive-analytic, and the study was performed using GIS software. The required data layers including altitude maps, slope, slope direction, distance from the city, distance from the road, distance from the waterways, vegetation density, relative humidity, soil depth, soil texture, distance from the fault, distance from water resources and climatic parameters (temperature, precipitation and climate classes) were gathered. Then, by consolidation and overlaying the data layers in GIS area, the final map was drawn in order to classify the ecotourism activities in the area in three various zones (class 1 and 2 and inappropriate). The results from the extensive ecotourism final map showed that the maximum zone of class 2 equals 39.45 percent and the maximum zone from the concentrated ecotourism, class 2 equals 94.56 percent. Prioritizing ecotourism zones was done using the results of Choice Expert software, and it was found that the area was suitable for widespread and concentrated ecotourism. Finally, some suggestions were proposed for creating a balance between ecotourism and conservation in order to avoid damaging the area and so, ecotourism development.

Rural tourism is an important factor in rural development which in turn can be effective in the development of rural areas and sustainable livelihood. Thus many countries have allocated a notable budget to it. Navarre, a village which is located in Kurdistan province, with its beautiful environmental and ecological capacity has been a suitable location to attract tourists. The present study used SWOT analytical approach to find a suitable strategy for tourism development. The validity of the questionnaire which was used in the study was confirmed by two specialists and its reliability was measured by Coronbach alpha (0.92). The population under study consisted of head of families and managers of tourism organization. The results of the study confirmed the priority of competitive approach as a focal one, and so the private sector in the area needs more attention in order to concentrate sources of funding, develop local human resources, attend to handicrafts, focus on effective employment and active participation of women in the area through educational investment, and at last plan ways of their better participation on this program as focal approaches to develop rural tourism.

The present study aimed at analyzing the role of hot springs of Nurabad-e-Mamasani in attracting tourists. Based on the stated goal, this study is an applied-developmental research; while on the basis of its nature and method, it is a descriptive and analytic one. The required data were collected using documentary and field methods. The population included 40,000 tourists visiting Nurabad Mamasani's hot spring in 2014, from whom 385 were sampled for the study. In order to analyze the data, SPSS and Excel software, chi-square tests, and Spearman's test were used. SWOT model was used in order to determine the strategies and methods of hot spring for tourism development. The findings showed that climatic and topography features, eco-system unique conditions, vegetation cover, and especially hot springs were regarded as tourism attractions of the area; additionally, medicinal effects of Nurabad Mamasani's hot springs were shown to have a significant effect on attracting tourists to the area. But some shortages and the lack of facilities in hot springs have led to tourism rate decrease resulting in the total lack of infrastructure underdevelopment in Nurabad Mamasani's hot springs. Using the SWOT model, the researchers proved that Nurabad Mamasani enjoys numerous potentials for hot springs tourism development due to its 20 strong points and opportunities with a weighted rating of 3.33 and 41.3 respectively. However, there are 18 weaknesses and threats in this region with the weighted ratings of 86.3 and 21.3. Finally, the researchers suggested reviewing and defensive strategies in order to resolve the existing problems. The research result was that reviewing the present policies is more effective to preserve the existing strengths of the area.

Currently, the tourism industry is an important source of income, employment opportunity, and infrastructure improvement in order to achieve a sustainable development. The climate in an area and its effects on forming tourism are highly crucial. Familiarity with climatic limitations and threats and latent potentials in the climate features is effective for designing various national, province and civil plans including tourism. Since knowing climate features can provide an important field for tourism planning, the researchers of the present study used climate tourism TCI and climate data of four synoptic stations of Zanjan province to evaluate climate tourism conditions and climatic attractions of Zanjan province. Thus, the researchers first extracted seven monthly climate parameters from province synoptic stations of the province in a 14- year period. After gathering the required data, data bases were established and their processes were accomplished via TCI index. Then using GIS software in interpolation, and generalizing point data into extended ones and mixing the maps, appropriate time for tourist attraction was determined. The results of the research indicated that February, May, June, January, August, September and October were accounted as an excellent and ideal condition for tourists’ attraction to the province. Regarding temperature reduction and high pressure of atmosphere in November, December, January, March and April, these months were not considered suitable time for tourists` attraction to the area.

Experts of tourism destinations try to achieve desired competitive advantages in tourism market using marketing tools such as branding based on the competitions among tourism destinations. Cities as the main tourism destinations are not exception from this principle and try to attract tourists more than before. Therefore, following the presence of cities in the competitive world, the concept of city branding was mentioned as a tool for differentiation in intended urban destination. Thus, some indexes were considered to determine a city image. The awareness about image residents have about their city and evaluating the relationship between contextual factors and the image that residents have about their city are useful and effective in determination of a city brand. The purpose of the present study was that to evaluate the image that residents of Tabriz have about their city and also to examine the relationship between contextual factors of city residents such as age, sex and residents’ place of birth and city image. This study employed an analytical-descriptive method. Statistical population of the study consisted of residents of Tabriz. Based on Cochran formula, 384 of them were selected as the participants of the study. The data obtained from completing questionnaires were analyzed with SPSS21 software. According to the results of this study, residents of Tabriz have a favorable image about their city. Also there is no significant relationship between contextual factors of residents such as age, sex and the image that they have about their city but there is a meaningful relationship between the residents’ place of birth and the image that they have about their city.