Identification and Ranking of key Drivers of the Future of Tourism in Ardebil Province

Mohammad Reza Fathi¹ Mohammad Hasan Maleki² Mohammadreza Boroomand³ Nedim Yüzbaşıoğlu⁴

1) Assistant Professor, Department of Management and Accounting, College of Farabi, University of Tehran, Qom, Iran
2) Associate Professor, Department of Economics and Management, University of Qom, Qom, Iran
3) M.Sc.Candidate of MBA, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Science, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey
4) Professor, Faculty of Tourism, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey

Publication : 1st International Conference on Tourism (Ardabil-based Study of Tourism Development Opportunities and Challenges)(tourism2019.ir)
Abstract :
Ardabil province is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Iran. From the natural point of view, locating in a cool and lush area and possesses attractions such as Sareen, from a cultural and historical perspective, with many monuments and historical memorials, from the perspective of medical tourism with convenient and affordable medical equipment and services compared to neighboring countries, and also from the aspect of rural tourism, due to its agricultural capacity and other considerations, this province has become a suitable tourist destination. To this end, in this study, 20 effective key drivers of the future tourism were identified by reviewing the background and interviewing the experts. Then, using the binomial test, 12 factors were eliminated and the remaining factors were analyzed by using the DEMATEL technique. These factors were ranked regarding influence degree. The results showed that the factors of infrastructure facilities, education, accommodation situation, tax, banking and customs supports, and the quality of tourism services are the most important factors, respectively.
Keywords : Tourism DEMATEL Key Drivers Futures Study.