TY - JOUR ID - 35242 TI - The Priority of Measuring the Strategies for Development of Cultural Tourism in Alamut, Qazvin JO - Human Geography Research JA - JHGR LA - en SN - 2008-6296 AU - Hosseini, Ali AU - Pourahmad, Ahmad AU - Oroji, Hasan AU - Alizadeh, Mohammad AD - Ph.D. Candidate in Geography & Urban Planning, University of Tehran AD - Prof. of Geography and Urban Planning, University of Tehran AD - Ph.D. Student, Geography and Rural Planning, Kharazmi University AD - MA. in Geography and Tourism Planning, University of Tehran Y1 - 2013 PY - 2013 VL - 45 IS - 3 SP - 1 EP - 17 KW - cultural tourism KW - strategic planning KW - Measuring the Strategy KW - Alamut KW - qazvin DO - 10.22059/jhgr.2013.35242 N2 - Nowadays, tourism is considered as one of the effective factors in promotion ofcommunications among nations. It is presented as creator of job opportunities in the economicsection and social-cultural interactions. Cultural tourism can be characterized in two differentaspects. From the conceptual viewpoint, people move towards the cultural attractions far fromtheir current residential place to achieve new information and experiences for meeting theircultural needs. In the terms of cultural tourism, human beings move towards some particularcultural attractions such as places with historical heritage, cultural and aesthetics signs, arts andplays out of their ordinary residential places. Both perspectives towards cultural tourism help abetter coexistence, continuity, stability, and safety.Alamut is considered as one of the cultural and historical places in Iran. Customs, traditions,race, manual industry, arts, and cultural and religious traditions have made this place a touristattraction. It is evident that this considerations and opportunities may have negative andthreatening effects as well as positive ones. MethodologyNot much time has passed since utilizing strategic planning and evolution in geography ingeneral and in urban as well as zone development in particular. This method is one of the publictools for both internal environment analyses (Strengths and Weaknesses) and externalenvironment analyses (Opportunities and Threats), besides, it is a systematic approach whichcan be helpful in decision making.This is a descriptive-analytical study with quantitative tool. In order to collect and arrangesuch factors various types of resources were used as follows: A library, documental approach,published articles and papers concerning the cultural tourism, direct observation and survey,field research, interview and providing questionnaire using Delphi method and considering theopinions of experts of Qazvin Cultural Heritage, Handcrafts and Tourism Organization andAlamut Cultural Heritage and Tourism Database, and academic experts.In collecting questionnaires, the participants have been divided into two different levels. Inthis stage, the snowball technique has been applied to determine the sample volume.− Group A: The opinions of this group have been collected using 14 questionnaires; theparticipants are as follows: The president and managers and experts in Qazvin CHHTOand Alamut CHTD.− Group B: academic experts responded to 15 questionnaires.Results and DiscussionAccording to the high score of the external factors rather than the internal ones, Alamut culturaltourism is more affected by opportunities and threats than the strength and weakness factors.This is due to the appropriate conditions of this place for the opportunities. It means that due tothe high cultural attractions and potentials, Alamut attracts the attention of both the localcommunity and authorities and the tourists who come from other areas.This place needs the collaboration and potentialities of the neighboring areas for thedevelopment of its cultural tourism to eliminate the deficiencies and enhance the capacities.Hence, upon the variety-centered strategies it should be emphasized.Four groups of strategies were determined in terms of different performance degree.According to the findings, variety strategies are more effective on Alamut cultural tourism. Thissection has examined four of the six selected strategies. In other words, some strategies in whichthe expected threats are prevented through strong factors should be exerted. Before that, Alamutshould return backward a little and take a defensive stance, though. First of all, the futureopportunities should be taken into consideration, and then, take benefit of the strong factors toprovide a strategy that suppresses the threats (defensive strategy). After that, the varietystrategies could be presented.ConclusionIn a comprehensive study, it can be mentioned that the development opportunities of culturaltourism gradually cope with other factors in the current trend of Alamut cultural tourism, and  the surrounding areas of Alamut have a positive historical and recreational appeals for culturaltourism of this area. Lack of opportunities in the selected strategies indicate that this place ofQazvin is not still ready to associate with the external culture and conditions and a hastyattention to the possible opportunities changes most of them to threat. However, in the future itmay be revealed that a window of tourism opportunities would be gradually opened towardsAlamut. Anyway, it is necessary to eliminate the deficiencies and prevent the threats to makeuse of these opportunities. In this situation, the competitive strategies could be used as well asthe aggressive strategies, i.e. using the weakness factors to take benefit of the opportunities, toeliminate the deficiencies through utilization of the opportunities. UR - https://jhgr.ut.ac.ir/article_35242.html L1 - https://jhgr.ut.ac.ir/article_35242_7b80fcbd1dcbab71f28e7035884170f1.pdf ER -