TOURISM AND DEVELOPMENT
Year:2017 | Volume:6 | Issue:3 (12) |Papers Count:10

As one of the highest earning industries in the world, tourism industry can play an important role in economic growth. In this regard, although cultural indices (i. e. veiling and compulsory coverage, religion and common language) a s factors affecting tourism have been addressed as effective factors on tourism flows, low number of studies have been conducted on impact of cultural indices 1on tourism flows. Therefore, present paper investigated effects of cultural indices and exchange rate regimes on tourism flows among Middle East countries Includes Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Oman, Iraq, israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Emarates United of Arabia, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Turkey. In this study method of systematic generalized method of moments was used to investigate effect of cultural characteristics in attracting foreign tourist of Middle East countries over the years 1993-2013. The results show that common religious and language positively influence the tourism flow while veiling and compulsory cover are along with negative and significant impact. Also, colonization, trade, gross domestic product, distance and exchange rate regimes and population provide positive and significant impacts while exchange rate has the negative impact on tourism flow.

Among the different aspects of tourism, health tourism and its subcategories (wellness tourism, curative tourism and medical tourism) have higher capabilities and competitive advantages. Regarding the advantages and benefits of medical tourism compared to other types, and also the potential in Iran in this area, this paper is going to provide a comprehensive framework for identification and investigation of direct and indirect factors affecting the medical tourism development in Iran. So, by reviewing the literature and using expert opinion, the medical tourism enablers in Iran are identified and then sorted by the Interpretative Structure Method (ISM). The population of the study consists of member of health tourism counsel. Survey and interview are the tools used to gather the data. 15 enablers were identified as the most important enablers in the medical tourism in Iran. The enabler of national healthcare policy, and then, transparent legal frameworks, top management commitment, and competent medical and paramedical staff are the major enablers in the modeling of Iranian medical tourism development which should be considered seriously by relevant managers. The results may help policy makers to make more intelligent decisions and take more appropriate ways of development of the medical tourism in Iran.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors affecting medical tourism attraction in East Azerbaijan province. The research method was descriptive-analytic and the statistical population of this research was directors and experts in health and medical tourism. Ten people were selected using purposeful sampling. The factors that attract medical tourism include: cost, quality, destination and technical and specialized infrastructure. These factors were first confirmed by experts. Then, using multi-criteria decision making methods, DEMATEL and ANP fuzzy matrix of internal communication between factors and their importance were examined. The findings of the research indicate that among the 24 identified factors, 12 factors related to cost, quality and technical and specialized factors as factors affecting medical tourism attraction were identified and evaluated. Also, the destination factor has the least impact on the other factors and at the same time most influenced by other factors. The results show low cost of treatment, the suitability of the price of services, low travel, low cost of health care, low cost of residence, the reputation of specialist doctors, relatives and friends advice of the quality of doctors, high quality of the treatment, marketing, advertising and branding of medical services of the region, the availability of facilities for medical consultation with a foreign patient before and after treatment, the existence of international standards of hospitals and modern medical equipment in the region have owned more than 60% of the weight and importance of attraction factors of medical tourism.

The main motivation concept in understanding consumer behavior and tourism destination selection is introduced. In fact, by recognizing the behavioral system and the demand for tourism that derives from the motivational factors of the journey or the same factors as pulling and pushing, You can plan the tourism spatial system according to existing demand. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of pulling and pushing motivational factors and prioritize them in the development of tourism in the holy city of Qom. The purpose of this research is applied and the method is descriptive and field. The study population had traveled to Qom tourists in spring and summer time limit is 95; Due to the limited number of samples were determined by 384 questionnaires were distributed among them. Data and information are collected in both library and field. Also, for analyzing data, one-sample T-test, Ajomin Friedman and exploratory factor analysis were used. The results showed that the push factors more effective than pull factor in the development of the tourism industry in the city of Qom. The results of exploratory factor analysis as well as a new component " faith-seeking-self-development " and components "religious and cultural attractions" To pull factor has been introduced. Eventually it became clear components a " faith-seeking-self-development" "being with family" and "escape and relax" in the push factors, "access" and "Religious culture" pull factors, These components are the priority needs of the tourists' motivation.

Considering the importance of the role of staff in transferring the organization's brand contracts to customers, especially in service organizations, this study aimed at examining the internal branding effects on brand performance by explaining the role of brand identity, commitment and loyalty. The research population was consisted of Laleh and Parsian Esteghlal International Hotels staff and in the first quarter of 1396. Random sampling method and Cochran formula were used for obtaining the sample size, and library and field methods were employed for data gathering. This study is a descriptive-correlation applied research which its data was collected by standard questionnaire that were used for validity and reliability, structural validity and Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling was used for the questionnaire’ s date analyzing. The study results show that internal branding has a positive relationship on the staff attitudinal and behavioral aspects and also delivering the brand promises with them. Since the employees’ commitment to brand is significantly related to the employee performance, it was confirmed as a mediator of the internal branding and employees brand performance relationship (employee performance in order to fulfill the brand promises to customers). In addition, according to the results of this study, brand engagement is the driver of brand identity, and brand commitment is a platform for employee brand loyalty.

Networks in today modern societies are widespread and can play roles in organizations’ entreprenurial success. But their creation and continuance need appropriate backgrounds like the existence of social capital. While networks are influential in the reinforcement of social capital but some levels of social capital is also required for their creation. In this study, the current situation of social capital and the level of network creation is examined regarding the importance of social capital, its influence on organizations’ performance and the rise of tourism businesses’ performance in the network mode. Data are gathered through 200 questionnaires distributed among randomly selected travel agencies’ employers and managers and are analayzed using spss software and pearson correlation and T test. Results show that social capital and the level of netwok creation is appropriate among travel agencies and there is a significant relationship between social capital dimensions (cognitive, structural and relational) and network creation. According to the results, the influence of relational dimension is higher.

Considering the importance of brand equity for tourism destinations and the fact that tourism destination of Sareen has been introduced as one of the seven tourism poles of the country; , the purpose of this study is identifying factors that have an effect at the Serein's brand equity. This is done based on the model of Boo et al (2009). This is a fundamental research. The research population was the tourists that would gone to Sarein at the time between 4 may 2016 and 25 may 2016. Sampling method was random sampling and 384 persons responded the questionnaire completely. Data analysis was performed using the spss 20 and Amos 18 software. The findings indicated that all the research hypotheses were confirmed. The results show that destination brand awareness, destination brand image, destination perceived quality, destination perceived value, and destination brand loyalty has an effect on the Sarein`s destination brand equity, and in this regard brand awareness has the least impact and brand loyalty has the most impact.

Community-based tourism participation of local communities in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. Participatory framework riders also tried to attract the active participation of all stakeholders throughout the planning process. So in this study, agricultural tourism planning for community-based participatory framework used to ride. Collecting information through meetings of discussion groups seven two groups of beneficiaries (farmers, managers) is obtained. Finally, stakeholders and managers of the group as facilitator operated in four stages to evaluate the strengths, opportunities, aspirations and results of agricultural tourism development focused executive. The results indicated that the assembling process is scientific community. In fact, this process can take from a reactive mode to all stakeholders, including farmers and the division of power and responsibility for them according to their interests, all of them are empowered. The local community and other stakeholders and facilitators together with an educational approach to enforcement Results for the development of agricultural tourism in the village of Dizaj achieved. Finally all groups interested in volunteering with the division of duties, were obliged to implement the program in accordance with the principles of sustainability.

For tourism managers, exploration of ways of reaching the goals of tourism industry can be a reference point in planning tourism development. The present study is an applied research and its analyzing method is descriptive-analytic and survey. Aim of the study is analyzing the effect of facilities and substructures of tourism on tourists’ loyalty and interest for further visit in rural regions of Savojbalagh. To this end, t-test in SPSS software has been used. Modeling structural equation in AMOS software was applied to distinguish variables and indicative factors of facilities and sub structures of tourism and its effect on tourists’ loyalty and interest for further visit and considering the theoretical bases of the research, structural model was set out. The sample size was calculated 200 people by Gpower software. The results demonstrate that the tourists’ point of view is not satisfied with the facilities and substructures of tourism. The findings of modeling structural equations indicate that the effect of hidden factor of tourism substructures on loyalty interest on tourists’ further visit is significant with factor analysis of 0. 74. the significant level of 0. 002 for the effectiveness shows avocation of empirical data from the relation between two forenamed indices in significant level of 95%.

The purpose of thispaper is to investigate the factors improvement of rural tourism development from the perspective of local people of Ardabil County. First, factors affecting effectiveness improvement of sustainable livelihoods in the study area were identified from the perspective of local elites using semi-structured interviews. To achieve this goal, 35 residents of studied region were interviewed individually with college education and at least a bachelorand#39; s degree. In the second step of study, in order to understand and analyze rural communitiesand#39; perspective of and their theoretical agreement degree with the results of the first step, 33 identified causes were the questionnaire design basis by Likert method. It can be said that studied population in this study consists of all villagers living in rural areas of Ardabil County in 2016 (N= 85053), among which 376 persons were selected as statistical sample using Cochran formula. In order to analyze the data, factor analysis model was used and the results of this model showed the most important factor improvement of sustainable livelihoods from the perspective of local people in studied region includes four components (educational and propaganda, supply-side support and governmental interventional action, infrastructures reinforcement and public social utility, social capital andandnbsp; amplification of participation) that explained variance and the cumulative variance by the five factors 60. 66. And finally, practical suggestions have been presented according to the results of the study.