Abstract
This research aims to have a strategic approach to the barriers that have hampered the development of the tourism industry in Iran. This study shows the application of MADM and strategic management tools in national tourism policy-making. In this research, PESTEL analysis is used to identify and classify the barriers that hamper tourism development in Iran. Then the Friedman test is carried out to rank the barriers. Then, the DEMATEL technique is used to determine cause and effect relationships between different types of barriers. After that, Importance- Performance analysis is done to identify the barriers that are the first priority of the country and need immediate attention. Finally, a set of strategies are proposed, evaluated, and ranked by CRITIC and VIKOR methods. This study identifies the most important issues and barriers to tourism development in Iran and proposes the most effective strategies to overcome those barriers. As the current tourism development strategies in Iran are proved to be ineffective and the situation of Iran in the international tourism industry is not comparable with the high potentials of this country, a strategic approach to tourism development barriers is absolutely necessary and valuable.
Highlights
Tourism is one of the world's fastest growing industries as well as a major source of foreign income and job creation
The ability of the national economy to benefit from tourism depends on the volume of investment in tourism infrastructures and on ability to satisfy the needs of tourists
The results show that the main barrier to the tourism industry of Iran is the political tensions of this country some other countries
Summary
Tourism is one of the world's fastest growing industries as well as a major source of foreign income and job creation. The existence of a number of sacred Shiite shrines in this country, has provided a good position in the field of religious tourism for Iran. Affordable costs, as well as advanced medical and health services in Iran, have made this country one of the most potent countries to become a medical tourism hub in the region and even in the world. Iran ranked first in terms of price competitiveness tourism in the world. Despite the high potential of Iran at generating income and improving the economic situation through the tourism industry, the indicators do not show a satisfying situation in this field. The rank and score of Iran in each index are specified and are compared to the best performance in that index. Relative Functionality of Iran in each index is obtained by dividing the score of the country into the best performance [1-4]
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