Structural analysis of the development of the Iranian tourism market employing a MICMAC approach: a new long-range planning method to attract the ASEAN international tourist market

Abstract

PurposeAs tourism development is an unquestionable part of every national growth policy, this study aims to introduce an integrated method employing MICMAC analysis for understanding the key strategic variables of Iran's tourism development system.Design/methodology/approachThe structural analysis with MICMAC method was used to determine the classification of variables, aimed at structuring ideas to deal with complex decision-making and help planners and policymakers formulate future-based strategies.FindingsThe cross-impact matrix was used to identify the development variables having the greatest impact on the development of Southeast Asian tourism to Iran. The results showed that among 43 variables, 10 have great potential as key variables in the future of Iran's tourism development.Research limitations/implicationsMICMAC, as a structural analysis technique, is regarded as being the most appropriate to identify the key variables in the development of the Iranian tourism system. The limitation was that the other tourism markets, apart from ASEAN tourists, and the tourism demand-side were excluded from this study.Practical implicationsThe present study indicates that identifying key factors that influence the supply side of Iran's tourism system is worthwhile. Consequently, the findings show how these key factors can play a vital role in long-range economic sustainability and lead to the development of Iran's tourism market to enhance globally its competitiveness as a destination to attract international ASEAN tourists.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first papers to focus on the development of Iran's tourism market from a supply-side through structural analysis. Its findings are valuable as they can be used by the tourism authorities in the process of developing future tourism scenarios for Iran.

Future scenarios for improving Iran's overall destination image and attractiveness: A supply‐side perspective

“…Iran's DI is not specific to tourism and is closely linked to political propaganda and the country's relationships with other countries (Akhoondnejad, 2015). Therefore, Iran needs to consider a profit‐based approach in its international relations (Nematpour, Khodadadi, Rezaei, et al, 2021). On the other hand, peace, comfort, and security in Iran are among the most critical factors in attracting tourists (Ghasemi et al, 2014) because tourists' perceptions of safety, security, and risks have an impact on the destination's image (Khan et al, 2016).…”

“…From the supply side, Iran is a force consisting of all products and services available at the destination at any given time (Formica & Uysal, 2006). To contribute to the country's attractiveness as a destination, the Iranian tour operators need to diversify the incoming tours by considering specific destinations (Nematpour, Khodadadi, Rezaei, et al, 2021) for international tourists. Furthermore, integrating products and services based on culture and heritage into tourism is important in improving a destination's attractiveness (Pallavicini, 2017), particularly through the built environment, which is recognized as an important heritage to enhance the tourist experience (Moulin, 1996).…”

“…Since there were 32 items/variables in this study, there should be a range of 1 to 10 cases for each item in the instrument used, resulting in 10 ratios of items used. However, the purposive‐sampling method was applied to obtain proportionate samples of tourism experts from all over Iran (Nematpour, Khodadadi, Rezaei, et al, 2021). Purposive sampling, known as judgmental or subjective sampling, is a non‐probability method based on the characteristics of experts and the study's objectives (Neuman, 2007).…”

Mapping tourism strategy patterns on tourism area life cycle

“…Mehraliyev et al (2022) confirmed that corporate strategic management is followed in resorts and hotels. Nematpour et al (2021) attempted to identify critical developmental variables, like tourism planning and policy-making for the Iranian tourism sector.…”

Current challenges facing ecotourism development in Iran

“…While tourism growth is likely to continue, the natural resources that make destinations attractive to tourists do not expand but risk being lost and taking a long period to replenish (Hübler, 2019). Sustainable and practical solutions (Tahbaz, 2016) and the implementation of long-term tourism planning (Nematpour, Khodadadi, Rezaei, & Makian, 2020) are required to address the challenges caused by the destruction of biodiversity in Iran.…”