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Context and Purpose: Considering the changing interest of tourists towards acquiring authentic cultural experiences and the increasing importance of emerging types of tourism, such as food tourism, the present study has been conducted to design a model for the development of food tourism in Iran . Design/methodology/approach: The current research is an exploratory, developmental study using a qualitative method and grounded theory approach. The statistical population consists of experts and practitioners in the country's public and private tourism sectors, of which 19 people were selected according to the rule of theoretical saturation using purposeful and snowball sampling methods, and individual semi-structured interviews were used to gather the data needed. Findings: After analyzing the interviews, 94 concepts (final code) were identified, which were classified into six categories: causal factors (economic factors, competitive factors, and factors related to demand), central phenomenon (tangible and intangible items), contextual condition (infrastructural and cultural factors), intervening condition (internal and external factors), strategies (related to products and services, related to marketing and advertising, related to infrastructure development, and related to human resources), and consequences (economic, socio-cultural, and competitive). Conclusion: The results show that the development of food tourism in Iran should be considered from different dimensions and aspects, and it is necessary to consider all the mechanisms influencing this process in planning and policy-making. Originality/value: The current research has a holistic approach to food tourism development and has investigated the effective mechanisms in developing this type of tourism from different aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering Iran's potential in medical tourism and being located in one of the world's most competitive health tourism regions, the present study aims to Identify and prioritize strategies for developing medical tourism in the country. The study relied on a mixed research method. In the qualitative part, solutions for Iran's medical tourism development were identified by interviewing activists and experts. The collected data were analyzed through the thematic analysis method. This process revealed four dimensions and 18 strategies. In the quantitative part, a questionnaire was developed, and experts in the Iranian medical tourism industry prioritized the identified dimensions and strategies. The analysis of the data through the best-worst method clarified that, from the perspective of the practitioners, dimensions of medical tourism development in Iran were: "marketing," "applying information and communication technologies," "human resources development," and "reinforcing infrastructures.". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religious tourism, as one of the most significant types of tourism, is among the most seriously affected economic sectors worldwide as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This study sought to identify and prioritise the strategies for sustaining post-COVID-19 religious tourism. The study was an applied survey that drew on a mixed research design. The results of the qualitative data analysis obtained through a systematic literature review revealed that the recovery strategies to boost businesses in the field of religious tourism in the post-COVID-19 future could be divided into four main strategies (dimensions) and 24 sub-strategies (criteria). Furthermore, the quantitative analysis, conducted through the R-SWARA technique, showed that 'making it mandatory to maintain a distance from sacred monuments (e.g., tombs) and prohibiting touching or having any physical contact with such monuments', 'Understanding religious tourists' health-related expectations', 'making it mandatory to use masks and other health-related equipment in sacred/religious locations', and 'reducing the capacity for welcoming tourists in sacred and tourism sites while holding religious ceremonies with a small number of attendants' were the most significant strategies that could boost religious tourism post-COVID-19. These factors were prioritised by experts and activists in the industry who shared their opinions in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a model for religious tourism as one of the most promising types of tourism worldwide, by focusing on the conditions of Iran as a potentially popular destination for religious tourism. The study relies on a mixed (qualitative and quantitative) method. The qualitative phase identifies the model dimensions and strategies. To do this, practitioners and experts were interviewed and the data collected were investigated through the thematic analysis method. This process revealed four main dimensions and 18 subsidiary strategies. In the quantitative phase, the dimensions and strategies identified were arranged in a questionnaire and through the survey method, were prioritised by experts in the Iranian tourism industry. The data analysis results, based on intuitionistic fuzzy AHP, revealed that the most important dimensions in religious tourism, as assessed by experts and practitioners in the Iranian tourism industry, were: 'marketing strategies', 'HR training and development', 'reinforcing executive management structures', and 'implementing information technology.' Finally, following a comparison of the results with those of another studies in this field, some executive and research-related suggestions are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]