Maintaining that language and culture are interwoven to the extent that learning the former is largely dependent on the latter, this study aimed to investigate the attitude of Iranian English as Foreign Language (EFL) Learners of Tehran South Branch of Islamic Azad University (both undergraduates and postgraduates) towards the learning of the cultural aspects of language, both the target and source cultures, in their EFL classrooms. To this end, a quantitative approach was employed and a Likert scale questionnaire was designed. Fifty EFL learners were randomly invited to answer the questionnaire in relation to their attitude being exposed to the culture of target language. The findings of the chi-square test indicated that the Iranian undergraduate and postgraduate EFL learners consider culture as an important element in learning the target language. Both the culture of the source language and the culture of the target language were deemed important while learning a second language. The findings of this study also showed that postgraduate EFL learners have more intension to learn more about the culture of both source and target language than undergraduate EFL learners in Iran.

Introduction: Today, the creation of a reliable and credible brand in the eyes of tourists has become one of the most attractive and controversial topics in the field of social geography and tourism marketing.Data and Method: The current research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-survey in terms of data collection. The statistical population of this research is the tourists of Mashhad city. The sample size was determined based on Morgan's table and using a non-random method available to 384 people. The tool of data collection in this research is the standard research questionnaire of Monilino et al. (2022). Cronbach's alpha was used to confirm the reliability of the questionnaire and confirmatory factor analysis was used for the validity of the questionnaire. and data analysis was done by structural equation method and using smart pls software. Results: The results indicate that brand attachment mediates the effect of brand identity, brand reputation, and Enduring culture involvement on brand credibility. Also, acculturation, destination brand identity and destination brand reputation have a positive and significant effect on brand credibility and attachment to the tourism destination brand. In addition, attachment to the tourism destination brand has a positive and significant effect on the reputation of the tourism destination brand. Conclusion: It shows the importance of the location and origin of a tourist destination, that social geography has caused differences and different traditions, which brings a special attraction for tourists and other nations.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of destination brand involvement and destination brand personality on tourist’ s self-Congruity and destination brand attachment in Isfahan. This research is applied, descriptive and of a survey type. The field method was used to collect data using a questionnaire. The statistical population of this study is all Iranian tourists who selected Isfahan as tourism destinations in the summer of 1397. Sampling method is available in this research. The structural equations modeling sampling formula (5q≤ n≤ 15q) has been used to determine sample size, and finally 384 questionnaires were collected. To analyze the data and test the hypotheses, structural equation modeling using Smart PLS 2. 0 software has been used. The findings of this research show that of destination brand involvement affects destination brand personality. Destination brand personality has an effect on actual self-congruence and ideal self-congruence. Also, destination brand personality effects destination brand attachment. Ultimately, actual self-congruence and ideal self-congruence effects on destination brand attachment. It is suggested that the results of this research can be used to city branding of Isfahan and to create a common mentality among tourists taking into account the tourist attractions of this city.

The study is to investigate the role of destination familiarity in the branding of Iran as a sport tourism destination. The statistical population was consisted of all foreign tourists traveling to Iran. 360 people using convenience sampling method participated in the study as the statistical sample. The data gathering instruments were destination familiarity (Liu et al., 2018), destination brand image (Andersen et al., 2018) and behavioral intention (Wu et al., 2018) questionnaires and data analysis was structural based on equation modeling. The validity (content, convergent and divergent) and reliability (load factor, composite reliability coefficient, Cronbach's alpha coefficient) of the questionnaires indicated that they were of good reliability and validity. The results showed that destination familiarity can significantly affect the brand image of the destination with the path coefficient of 0/83, and the image of the sports tourism destination can subsequently affect the behavioral intention of the sports tourists with the path coefficient of 0/68. Also, destination familiarity can directly affect behavioral intention of the sports tourists with the path coefficient of 0/63. In other words, by enhancing the familiarity, destination image and tourists’ behavioral intentions will affect positively. Totally, these findings indicate the role of destination familiarity in the branding of Iran as a sports tourism destination. Based on the findings, it can be suggested that if Iran's sport tourism destinations seek to increase their share of the global sports tourism market, then they should pay special attention to the role of familiarity in branding Iran as a sports tourism destination.

Teaching culture in English language instruction is an issue that has long been debated. The cultural component of language gained importance in 1960s when the sociology of language was developed; hence, varied perspectives were presented regarding the topic of teaching culture in English language instruction. Despite a number of research on the role that English language culture plays in curriculum and language instruction in various educational settings, it appears that the existing discussions have ignored the primacy of this issue in general English language classes offered to undergraduate university students. The current study looked into how instructors and students approached the subject of culture in general English language courses. For this purpose, ten students who successfully completed their general English language course and six course instructors were sampled. A qualitative research approach was adopted; all participants attended semi-structured interview sessions. Thematic analysis of the interview transcripts demonstrated that the instructors’ arguments for and against teaching culture in general language classrooms are based on how they define and view the concept of culture. On the other hand, it was found that the students’ attitudes towards dealing with culture in general English language classes are influenced by a number of factors, including their religious convictions, the impact of media and social networks, and their reliance on culture and mother tongue. The results of this study can help policy makers and instructors figure out whether to teach or not to teach culture in English language classes.