Volume 18, Issue 61 , April 2023
Tourism planning
Ali Movahed; Asghar Tahmasbi; Nasrein Gholamali Fard
Abstract
Spiritual experience is one of the growing potentials and attractions in many tourist destinations, and involves a wide range of religious and secular tourists. This paper aims to analyze the motives and factors affecting the spiritual experiences of foreign female tourists in Iran. The required data ...
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Spiritual experience is one of the growing potentials and attractions in many tourist destinations, and involves a wide range of religious and secular tourists. This paper aims to analyze the motives and factors affecting the spiritual experiences of foreign female tourists in Iran. The required data were collected using 383 questionnaires from foreign female tourists in the hotels where they stayed, or at airports on their way to their country. Then the data were analyzed by applying correlation test and multi-linear regression analysis. The results of study show that, being in harmony with the nature is the most important motive for foreign female tourists traveling to Iran. Among the characteristics of tourist destinations, natural geography, history and culture lie as the most important factors affecting the spiritual experiences of the foreign female tourists visiting Iran.IntroductionReligion and spirituality have been the most important motives of tourists for traveling in the old time. There is a common agreement on the proximity of these two concepts but spirituality and religion don’t necessarily cover each other. The spirituality concept has become much wider and includes issues including health, social relationships, happiness, vivacity, self-esteem, calmness, sublimity and God. Men and women are different in spiritual aspects. According to some psychologists, women are more religious than men, and have more tendency to spirituality and religious activities (Rich, 2012 Hajizadeh-Meimndi, Ebrahimi-Sadrabadi, 1389). Also, psychologists believe that, tendency to religious affairs is more in women due to the harmony and consistency of spiritual and religious views with women’s souls. Regarding the differences in men’s and women’s traveling and the differences in their incentives, Bond (1997) states that the traveling of alone women beyond their country borders has recently increased significantly. Women tend to take journeys to get experiences and communicational skills as well as to attain awareness and confidence. The statistics show a significant increase in the number of women’s traveling. Therefore, the activists of tourism industry pay special attention to the women’s sector in the market and the economy of travel and tourism. Women are considered as one of the new markets in tourism industry, and understanding their spiritual experiences became a main priority. Female tourists look for different destinations to get the experiences and because of the diversity of expectation form spiritual experience, the need for various destinations to satisfy the different groups of spiritual tourists is felt more than ever. Iran can be a special destination for female tourists, due to its geographical, cultural and historic situation. Climatic diversity and natural landscapes shaped by climates, heights, plains, seas and coastal areas, deserts in addition to historic, cultural and religious attractions and the existence of different ethnic groups with their own special customs and ceremonies, provide very diverse and unique conditions for women’s spiritual experiences in Iran.However, existing knowledge on spiritual experiences of foreign female tourists in Iran and its determining factors are very limited.Research MethodologyThis study is a descriptive-exploratory research and the statistical society is the foreign female tourists in Iran and the measuring instrument is questionnaire, of which 383 copies have been distributed among and completed by foreign female tourists, using convenience sampling. The data have been analyzed by SPSS software. Descriptive statistics indices such as frequency and percentage have been applied to search and analyze the information related to general characteristics of the respondents. Correlation tests and multi-linear regression analysis have also been used in the inferential statistics part.Research FindingsThe findings of this study show that three aspects of demographics, travel motives and the destination characteristics, predict 85 percent of the variance of the spiritual experiences of the foreign female tourists in Iran.The characteristics of Iran as a tourist destination with beta of 0.355 had the highest effects on the spiritual experiences of the foreign female tourists. In this study the Crouch and Ritchie model of destination competitiveness was used to determine the tourist destination characteristics. Therefore, the effects of 8 variables including history and culture of the natural geography, infrastructure, costs, security, hospitality, events and situation on the tourists’ spiritual experiences were examined using the multi-linear regression analysis. The results show that the destination characteristics predict 94 percent of the variance of the spiritual experiences of the foreign female tourists in Iran. Among the destination characteristics, a) factors of history and culture, b) natural geography, c) infrastructure, d) costs, e) security, f) hospitality, g) events and h) situation, in order, had the highest effects on the quality of the spiritual experiences of the foreign female tourists in Iran.ConclusionBased on Crouch model, the destination characteristics are among important factors in tourists’ choice for different purposes. According to the results of this research, foreign female tourists have considered the features of their destination as the most effective factor in their spiritual experiences. Fox’s research (1996) on the women participating in spiritual experiences in pristine places indicated that the nature is seen as a powerful, healing and spiritual element. Furthermore, women on journeys have energy more similar to the nature and can get more spiritual awareness. As discussed above, spiritual tourism for women could play very important role as a novel strategy for tourism marketing in programming macro-tourism in Iran and branding women’s spiritual tourism can be conducted for this valuable guideline.Particularly in advertising via internet and TV programs, Iran should introduce itself as a new destination for female spiritual tourists. Providing necessary facilities and infrastructures and designing trip packages for female spiritual tourists are from necessary steps toward female spiritual tourism. In this research we offered a general framework to examine female spiritual experiences and examined the impact of three main factors including: the destination characteristics, travel motives and the tourists’ demographic features. The destination characteristics in the female tourists’ view, had very significant role in their spiritual experiences. Furthermore, harmony with nature was found as the most important motive to have the spiritual experience in Iran.In the future studies one may examine the effects of different environments including the nature or religious places or even historical buildings to discover the effects of places on spiritual experiences. Also, the effects of each of these aspects and indices on spiritual experiences for two groups of men and women may be assessed and compared separately.
tourism management
Mohsen Farhadinejad; Atiye Saberi; Mohammad Ebrahim Baghernezhad Hamze kolaie
Abstract
Nowadays, manufacturing and service industries are trying to have a green orientation in their field of activity. However, the concept of greenwashing, which is a kind of mental deception of the audience, is the opposite of green orientation, and the upcoming research aims to examine the components of ...
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Nowadays, manufacturing and service industries are trying to have a green orientation in their field of activity. However, the concept of greenwashing, which is a kind of mental deception of the audience, is the opposite of green orientation, and the upcoming research aims to examine the components of this concept in the hotel industry and provide solutions to deal with it. The current research has a developmental approach and theme analysis was determined as the method of data analysis. The experts of this research are 15 experts in hospitality and health matters, who were selected by purposeful sampling. Also, the data collection tool is a semi-structured interview. Data analysis shows that environmental greenwashing, social greenwashing, lexical greenwashing, legal greenwashing, and food greenwashing are the dimensions of the concept of greenwashing in the hotel industry. Also, with digital tools and the correct culture we can deal with greenwashing.IntroductionNowadays, manufacturing and service industries are trying to have a green orientation in their field of activity. However, the concept of greenwashing, a kind of mental deception of the audience, is the opposite of green orientation. The upcoming research aims to examine the components of this concept in the hotel industry and provide solutions to deal with it.Materials and MethodsThe present research has an exploratory approach in terms of its nature and a developmental approach in terms of its goal, and theme analysis was used to analyze the data. The experts of this research are 15 experts in hospitality and health matters, who were selected by purposeful sampling. Also, the data collection tool is a semi-structured interview.Discussion and ResultsData analysis shows that environmental greenwashing, social greenwashing, lexical greenwashing, legal greenwashing, and food greenwashing are the dimensions of the concept of greenwashing in the hotel industry.ConclusionsIt is possible to deal with the phenomenon of greenwashing by using new digital tools, increasing public awareness, and enacting restrictive laws.
tourism management
Parvaneh Sobhani; Afshin Danehkar
Abstract
Improper recreational activity development can have destructive ecological and economic impacts. Identification and proportionality measurement for the principled and practical implementation of these activities is a suitable solution to reduce their negative impacts on tourism destinations and natural ...
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Improper recreational activity development can have destructive ecological and economic impacts. Identification and proportionality measurement for the principled and practical implementation of these activities is a suitable solution to reduce their negative impacts on tourism destinations and natural ecosystems. Accordingly, in the present study, the recreational activities demanded by tourists in the Hara protected area were identified, and then these activities were investigated according to a list of locational indicators. Spatial distribution of recreational activities in the Hara area demonstrated that due to the land and coastal-marine nature of the requested activities, as well as the topographical and climatic conditions of the area, most of these activities can be implemented in the coastal areas and waters. According to the results, 12 recreational activities from 43 identified activities were selected by tourists, and among these activities, "Visit the forest with a balloon" received the highest score, while the lowest score is assigned to "sunbathing on the coast". In addition, among the 14 spatial indicators, "precipitation intensity" and "suitable time for tourism" have been investigated and analyzed in most recreational activities, while other indicators such as "maximum height above sea level" affect a limited number of activities. On the other hand, the most important indicator in the implementation of these activities is the climate suitable for tourism and favorable weather conditions in this area. In general, the identification and investigation of recreational activities and spatial indicators in tourism destinations, especially in protected areas that have legal prohibitions and biological restrictions for human activities development, is essential and can help in the planning and proper management of these areas.IntroductionToday, tourism activities can play an important role along with economic, social, cultural, and political development to sustain human life. Recreational activities can be an important economic activity, but in case of unsuitable development, it also has destructive ecological and economic impacts. Correct planning for basic and practical implementation of these activities can be effective in reducing their negative impacts. In this regard, one of the most important topics discussed in the management and planning of tourism in natural areas is how to select recreational activities that can be developed and demanded by tourists in these areas. To achieve sustainable development, proportionality measurement and assessment of the environment and recreational activities are necessary and essential before any planning.Materials and Methods To identify recreational activities that can be developed in the Hara protected area based on experts' viewpoints and available documents, a list of recreational activities was prepared. Then 43 recreational activities were identified and presented to tourists in the form of a visual questionnaire to determine their selected activities and prioritize them in the numerical range of 1 to 10. According to Cochran's relationship, the sample size for tourists was determined to be 96. In this regard, by randomly distributing 100 questionnaires among tourists, their demand related to the recreational activities available in this area was identified and surveyed. In the next step, the requested activities were screened and selected. The basic selection of activities in this study is based on more than 10% of the total priorities, which among leisure activities with an average of more than 100 and based on the frequency of the first 3 selections (priorities 1 to 3) have the highest demand among tourists. It should be mentioned that the final score of the activities is also standardized and reviewed according to the highest sum of the priority coefficients. After examining the results of questioning by tourists and summarizing the types of recreational activities in demand in the area, to examine recreational activities, a series of location indicators were presented according to the nature of land and coastal-sea activities. Accordingly, according to the relevant study documents, 14 indicators include; slope, maximum height above sea level, coast type, wind intensity, precipitation intensity, water flow speed, maximum wave height, minimum water depth, maximum water depth, suitable time (comfortable climate), viewing angle, viewing direction, maximum viewing distance, and landscape composition was used for spatial proportionality of leisure activities.Discussion and Results As the results revealed, 12 recreational activities from 43 identified activities were selected by tourists, and among these activities, "visit the forest with a balloon" received the highest score, while the lowest score is assigned to "sunbathing on the coast". In addition, among the 14 spatial indicators, "precipitation intensity" and "suitable time for tourism" have been investigated and analyzed in most recreational activities, while other indicators such as "maximum height above sea level" affect a limited number of activities. On the other hand, the most important indicator in the implementation of these activities is the climate suitable for tourism and favorable weather conditions in this area. Considering the land and coastal-sea nature of the selected activities, as well as the topographical and climatic conditions of the area, the spatial distribution of most recreational activities is usable in the coastal profile and in the coastal areas and waters.Conclusions The results indicated that sustainable tourism development depends on the necessity of studying the ability of recreational activities in demand in the tourist destination. Each recreational activity is affected by a range of spatial indicators and also affects the environment. In general, the identification and investigation of recreational activities and spatial indicators in tourism destinations, especially in protected areas that have legal prohibitions and biological restrictions for human activities development, is essential and can help in the planning and proper management of these areas.
tourism management
Payam Partovinia; Niloofar Abbaspoor
Abstract
The development of technology has caused a revolution in the field of tourism and the use of virtual tours is progressing. Therefore, it is necessary to know the level of acceptance of this technology in order to know the destination and desire to visit. The purpose of the research is to investigate ...
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The development of technology has caused a revolution in the field of tourism and the use of virtual tours is progressing. Therefore, it is necessary to know the level of acceptance of this technology in order to know the destination and desire to visit. The purpose of the research is to investigate the willingness of tourists to visit places in person according to the theory of technology acceptance and familiarity with the destination. The population is people who have used virtual tours at least once. Structural equation test was used to analyze the data. The results showed that the effect of the technology acceptance model (perceptual ease, pleasure and usefulness) has a positive effect on the users' familiarity with the destinations of virtual tour , although the effect of perceptual usefulness is insignificant. Also, familiarity with tourist destinations has a positive and significant effect on the desire to visit them.IntroductionDuring the last decade, technological progress has become more intense. The transformation and development of digital programs, computers, and mobile phones are happening daily. The impact of this technology delivery in the tourism industry can be seen in the form of virtual tours. In such a way that virtual tours, by using the information and visual features that they provide to tourists, create motivation for the desire or intention to visit tourist places. The intention to visit tourist attractions can be related to the experiences that a person has already gained. Experiences can make people familiar with goals. This familiarity can be obtained from virtual tours, whose users are influenced by three factors (convenience, pleasure, and perceived usefulness) important for technology adoption. So, knowing the extent and reasons for accepting virtual tours technology can be very important for tourism industry managers. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to investigate the willingness of tourists to visit places in real terms according to the theory of technology acceptance and familiarity with the destination.Materials and MethodsThe current research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive survey in terms of the nature and method of collection. The statistical population of the research is real people who have used Iran's virtual tour websites and programs at least once. The expression of data collection is also an online questionnaire. The sample size in this research is 204 people, which has been determined based on the number of research items according to the use of structural equations.Discussion and ResultsAccording to the data analysis, the results of the current research showed that the dimensions of the virtual tours technology acceptance model (perceived ease, pleasure, and usefulness) have a positive effect on the recognition of destinations. However, the effect of perceived usefulness on familiarity with the destination was insignificant and this hypothesis was rejected. Also, this hypothesis showed that there is a positive and meaningful effect of familiarity with destinations on the desire to visit tourist destinations.ConclusionsThe ease, pleasure and usefulness that users perceive in the experience of virtual tours, causes them to accept the technology, which allows them to obtain the required information and knowledge about attractions and destinations. As a result, it can be said that the acceptance of technology leads to a better understanding of virtual tours. On the other hand, a better understanding of virtual tours (especially in terms of perceived pleasure and perceived ease) leads to familiarity with tourist destinations. Also, familiarity with the destinations makes virtual tour users want to visit tourist attractions in a real way.
Mostafa Esmaeili Mahyari; Hamid reza Irani; Vahid Noormandipour
Abstract
Given that religious tourism has become a topic of interest not only among religious followers and pilgrims but also among ordinary tourists, researchers in this field have taken notice. The aim of this study is to examine the global trend of research on religious tourism, as well as the current and ...
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Given that religious tourism has become a topic of interest not only among religious followers and pilgrims but also among ordinary tourists, researchers in this field have taken notice. The aim of this study is to examine the global trend of research on religious tourism, as well as the current and future research directions in this area. To this end, a review of existing literature on religious tourism was conducted using bibliometric and visualization methods. After applying input and output criteria, a total of 412 articles were extracted from the Web of Science database and analyzed using VOS viewer software. The findings indicate an upward quantitative trend in publication and citation rates, with the highest number of published papers occurring in 2021 and the highest number of citations in 2022. Additionally, descriptive data revealed the most frequently cited articles, researchers, journals, and universities. Analysis of keyword co-occurrence demonstrated that the most commonly occurring words included religious tourism, pilgrimage, tourism, and spiritual tourism. Findings also indicate that much of the research in this field has focused on conceptualizing and distinguishing between religious and pilgrimage tourism and understanding travelers' motivations in a religious context. Moving forward, future studies in this area should consider experiential marketing and tourist experience, as well as Service-Dominant Logic and value co-creation theories.IntroductionUndoubtedly, religious tourism has become a significant area in tourism sector. In contemporary times, tourists visit religious sites not only for spiritual reasons but also in pursuit of cultural and historical significance (Kim et al., 2020; Romanelli et al., 2021). Notably, within religious and pilgrimage tourism, both spiritual and non-spiritual elements coexist, making it arduous to differentiate between the two (Griffin, 2007). While pilgrimage tourism involves performing religious rituals in sacred places with the primary intention of worship, religious tourism does not necessarily require adherence to specific religious beliefs or practices (Kujawa, 2017). In addition to tourism activists, academics have also shown interest in this type of tourism, and many articles, books, and articles have been published related to this topic. In spite of that, to date, no bibliometric investigation has been conducted on religious tourism. Therefore, this research aims to undertake a bibliometric review of religious tourism to ascertain past and future research trends and identify areas requiring further exploration. Materials and MethodsThe present research is characterized as a descriptive-analytical study that utilizes bibliometric analysis to examine a specific research field. The use of bibliometric analysis as a quantitative method in this research is well-established in academic literature and enables scholars to gain valuable insights into various aspects of a research field. The choice of the Web of Science database was made due to its established reputation as a reliable and standardized source for bibliometric analysis. After applying filters and selecting appropriate keywords, a total number of 412 articles were identified and subjected to further analysis. In this regard, the complete bibliometric information of these studies, including their title, abstract, organizational affiliation, and sources, were extracted from the database and subsequently analyzed using VOS Viewer software. This methodology aims to identify the structures and trends within the specified research topic, thereby enhancing our understanding of the subject matter.Discussion and ResultsThe results of the investigation indicate an upward trend in the quantitative publication and citation rates of religious tourism research. The year 2021 had the highest number of publications, with 52 studies, while the peak for citations was observed in 2022, with 967 citations. Moreover, the most highly cited article, author, journal, country, and university were identified. Accordingly, "Forms of Religious Tourism" recognized as the most cited article, "Rinschede, G" recognized as the most cited author, "Annals of Tourism Research" recognized as the most cited journal, "Australia" recognized as the most cited country and "University of Haifa" recognized as the most cited university in this field. After conducting a co-authorship analysis, the study was able to identify eight clusters of active countries that have contributed significantly to knowledge production in the field of religious tourism research. This analysis provides valuable insights into the collaborative networks and patterns of international cooperation among researchers working on religious tourism. Furthermore, the keyword co-occurrence analysis revealed that "Pilgrimage," "Tourism," and "Spiritual tourism" were the most commonly used terms in religious tourism research.ConclusionsThe increase in the number of articles and citations pertaining to religious tourism signifies its growing importance as an academic field and highlights the attention it has garnered from researchers. Among the topics that have recently received attention in this field, the experience of religious tourists and pilgrims is one such area that is still in its nascent stages, as corroborated by the Keywords Co-occurrence analysis. Previous studies have primarily focused on the trip experience, whereas a comprehensive understanding of the tourist's experience necessitates an examination of all three phases, namely before, during, and after the trip. This highlights the dynamic nature of the tourist experience. By comparing developments in tourism research with those in religious tourism, research gaps can be identified. Experiential marketing and Service-dominant logic-related theories are areas that require further exploration in religious tourism, as they have yet to receive much attention in this field.
tourism management
Salimeh sadat Khosravi; Nader Naderi
Abstract
In the era of digital transformation, Big Data have assumed a crucial role in changing the global travel and providing significant challenges and opportunities for established companies, as well as new entrants into the tourism industry. this study sought to fill the knowledge gap of linkage the relationships ...
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In the era of digital transformation, Big Data have assumed a crucial role in changing the global travel and providing significant challenges and opportunities for established companies, as well as new entrants into the tourism industry. this study sought to fill the knowledge gap of linkage the relationships between big data and marketing strategy with comprehensive viewpoints across different research fields in tourism and hospitality literatures. This study aims to identify and present a comprehensive model of data driven marketing in smart tourism. This study is conducted by Meta-synthesis approach. After performing CASP analysis, eventually,47 papers are investigated. we identified and prioritized the consequences, challenges, prerequisites and Dimensions of data driven marketing in smart tourism. After investigating the articles, we identified and prioritized the consequences of BD in 7 major Category including: 1-process 2-people 3-product 4-physical evidence 5-promotion 6-place 7-price. This research has contributed to the expansion of the research literature`s knowledge body and can provide researchers and marketing managers with a through understanding of tourism and hospitality in the field of data-driven marketing.Introduction The epistemology of the literature on big data in hospitality and tourism operations provides enormous opportunities and has dynamically revolutionized this discipline, attracting attention from academics. In view of emergency events, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, tourism and hospitality scholars across different disciplines have highlighted the role of big data trends in improving the quality of marketing strategies. For example, Iorio et al. (2020) asserted that big data can be a useful source of information that can not only interpret unstructured data through the knowledge discovery process but also predict tourists’ behaviour when facing requirements that are changeable.Gallego and Font (2020) asserted that managers might use big data to detect the reactivation of visitors to develop targeted marketing strategies and diminish the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, big data analysis provides a better understanding of the social change in present and future issues and value creation by comparing cross-sectional data in diverse areas.Materials and MethodsThis research used the meta-synthesis method to synthesize previous qualitative studies. In this study, the seven-step meta synthesis method established by Sandelowski and Barroso was used, and thematic analysis was used to analyze the sample texts in the meta-synthesis method. Discussion and Resultswe identified and prioritized the consequences of BD in 7 major Category including: 1-process 2-people 3-product 4-physical evidence 5-promotion 6-place 7-price. And Challenges of BD in 4 Category including: 1- Ethical and privacy issues 2- Management and financial issues 3- Technological, human and organizational challenges 4- Data reliability and data accessConclusionsOn the demand side, there has been a massive transformation in consumer behaviour. Consumers have become more experienced, independent and irrational due to changes in their values, lifestyles and demographic patterns. This has forced the supply side to shift from mass marketing to personalized marketing through the rules of market segmentation. The production process has also become more consumer centric. Furthermore, as a sign of a new era in ICTs, concepts such as big data, IoT and AI have recently gained significant importance in many sectors because the developments in ICTs have accelerated worldwide. Tourism is one of the important fields that use these concepts and will also be influenced to a great extent. Such changes will occur in the “P”s of tourism and hospitality marketing on the supply side and consumer behaviour on the demand side. As for the retransformation of tourism and hospitality marketing, new forms of “P”s can be explained as below: First, tourism products and services will be redesigned with the help of ICTs.Products and services will become more destination-oriented and smart destinations will be the core of tourism products and services. Second, the ability to use information technology and develop more technology-oriented products and services will be an indicator of pricing and value. Third, the place where all purchasing and transactions to be handled will become much more virtual. Finally, the promotion will also be more virtual-centric, where consumer decision-making can be influenced by the experience of other consumer peers and more personalized communication channels will be part of online or virtual marketing.
tourism management
Zahra Razmi; Samaneh Ahmadi
Abstract
Today, virtual reality technologies offer unlimited potential for extensive virtual visits to real tourist destinations. The aim of the research is to measure the impact of the variables affecting the change of attitude in the decision to travel using virtual reality. This research is quantitative research, ...
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Today, virtual reality technologies offer unlimited potential for extensive virtual visits to real tourist destinations. The aim of the research is to measure the impact of the variables affecting the change of attitude in the decision to travel using virtual reality. This research is quantitative research, and in terms of purpose, it is applied, and in terms of data collection, it is a descriptive-survey of correlation type. The statistical population of this research is the users of the tourism channel. According to the Cochran relation, the sample size was 270 people, who answered the questions by distributing the questionnaire online in the statistical community. First, the collected data were analyzed and in the next step, the variables were ranked using the process of fuzzy hierarchy analysis. The research findings indicate that the criteria of flexibility, usefulness, perceived pleasure, a positive and significant relationship with changing attitudes has it. The results obtained in the fuzzy hierarchical method show that the variables of attitude change are first rank, usefulness is second rank, decided to travel is third rank, flexibility is fourth rank, perceived pleasure is fifth rank. It is concluded that tourism service providers should create new models in line with tourism marketing in order to raise the level of virtual experience of tourists.IntroductionIn the development of information and communication technology, the growth of virtual reality technology has attracted attention, especially considering the innovations that are expected from the fifth generation of mobile communications (5G). The fifth generation of mobile communications is an international mobile standard with the aim of commercialization in 2020(Lee et al., 2020). Tavakli and Mora say that despite the move towards virtual tourism, the experiences of tourists in virtual tourism destinations remain relatively unknown. This is especially true if the gender identity and behavior patterns of Iranian women in virtual tourism destinations are mentioned (Tavakoli, Mura, 2015). Zhang and colleagues say that although the studies related to virtual tourism have formed a relatively complete theoretical framework, it is not enough to respond to the systematic and comprehensive attitude of tourists and the causes of the attitude towards virtual tourism (Zhang et al., 2022). It has also been raised in the field of challenges; Although virtual reality provides information about the destination as smart tourism and is very useful, it is slow due to the problems of accepting new technology by tourists (Pestek et al., 2020). Tan and his colleagues have conducted research under the title; Borders are open again! Has virtual reality been friend or foe? Therefore, in this regard and according to the above, the basic research question is what effect does virtual reality have on the attitude and ultimately the intention to travel in terms of external and internal motivations? Previous researches have focused on the role of virtual reality displays in creating a sense of presence and how virtual reality affects destination marketing. To answer this question, a new model in technology development was created in this study. The gap that exists is that in few researches, in terms of investigating the motivation in using virtual reality in tourism, a distinction has been made between internal and external motivations, although Leung et al. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is a parsimony and should be expanded to include factors that are particularly relevant to it (Leong et al., 2020). Therefore, based on the theory of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, in the technology acceptance model, the current research measures the effect of flexibility, usefulness and perceived enjoyment of virtual reality on the change of attitude in the decision to travel. In the current research, an attempt has been made to change the attitude towards virtual reality in tourism. In addition to external motives such as usefulness, criteria such as curiosity, relaxation, and personal belief, which are internal motives, have been investigate.Material and Method:This research is quantitative research, and in terms of its purpose, it is applied, and in terms of the method of data collection, it is a descriptive-survey of the correlation type. The method of collecting information is divided into two categories: field (questionnaire tool) and library sources. Library sources have been used to collect theoretical foundations and research literature, and field methods have been used to collect research data. The confirmatory factor analysis test was used to verify the validity of the questions and to specify the key factors of each component, and the structural equation modeling technique was used to check the fit of the research model with the collected data. In the next step, we rank the variables using Fuzzy Hierarchy Analysis Process (FAHP), and make decisions by converting expression variables into triangular fuzzy numbers.Discussion and resultsThree variables of flexibility, usefulness, and pleasure were considered in attitude change, and in attitude change, in addition to measures of external motives, measures of internal motives such as curiosity, relaxation, and personal belief are effective in the decision to travel. ConclusionsThe findings show that the more the level of usefulness, perceived pleasure and flexibility increases in the virtual space, the more the person's attitude changes accordingly. In the next step, we ranked the confirmed variables using the fuzzy AHP method. Basically, although fuzzy systems describe uncertain and uncertain phenomena, the fuzzy theory itself is a precise theory. The results obtained based on the weighting coefficient show that the attitude change variable ranks first, usefulness ranks second, decision to travel ranks third, flexibility ranks fourth, and perceived pleasure ranks fifth. The findings of the research showed that the flexibility, usefulness, perceived enjoyment of virtual reality by virtual tourism users had an effect on the change of attitude, and this factor leads to their intention to travel. The result of this will increase the number of tourists in the real environment. Therefore, it is suggested that virtual reality service providers design programs and applications based on this technology to enrich the content of advertising video by adding more dynamic interactive virtual reality elements, creating immersive virtual reality products in order to improve the experience. Increasing the enjoyable experience of virtual tourists affects their behavioral intentions and as a result requests for more information about destinations, the likelihood of visiting the virtual site and then the real trip. The findings showed that in addition to external motives such as usefulness, measures such as curiosity, soothing, and personal belief, which are internal motives, have an effect on the intention to travel
