Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Master’s in Ecotourism, Department of Geography and Tourism, Faculty of Natural Resources and Earth Sciences, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran.
2
Professor, Department of Geography and Tourism, Faculty of Natural Resources and Earth Sciences, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran.
Abstract
Religious tourism, as one of the most thriving forms of tourism, plays a significant role in the economic, socio-cultural, physical, and environmental development of regions due to its spiritual and cultural characteristics. This study aims to investigate the impact of religious tourism on realizing the Iranian-Islamic model of progress in the city of Aran and Bidgol. The city, endowed with religious sites and traditional rituals, holds substantial potential for developing religious tourism. Employing a descriptive-analytical method and a quantitative approach, data were collected from 382 residents using a Likert-scale questionnaire and analyzed with SPSS and AMOS software. The results of the one-sample T-test indicated that the economic (mean = 2.76), socio-cultural (2.76), physical-spatial (2.90), and environmental (2.79) indicators had a lower impact than the expected threshold (3) on achieving the Iranian-Islamic model of progress. Structural equation modeling revealed that the physical-spatial indicator, with a factor loading of 0.95, had the most significant impact. These findings suggest barriers such as inadequate infrastructure and unsustainable management. The study proposes enhancing physical infrastructure, managing environmental impacts, raising cultural awareness, and supporting local businesses. It underscores the necessity of policy-making to optimally utilize the potential of religious tourism in line with the Iranian-Islamic model of progress.
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