Presenting a model of the key success factors of creative tourism: A case study of Nain

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Department of Geography and Tourism, Faculty of Natural Resources and Earth Sciences, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran

10.22059/jhgr.2024.374776.1008684

Abstract

ABSTRACT
Today, one of the key tools to achieve comprehensive development in cities is to pay attention to innovations and creativity in using natural, economic, social, and cultural potentials and capacities through a creative tourism approach. In this regard, the city of Nain, as one of the most valuable historical and touristic areas of various attractions, however, has not yet been able to fully use the existing capacities to realize sustainable urban tourism.The present research aims to provide the fields for comprehensive development of tourism by presenting a model of the key success factors for creative tourism. The spatial territory of the research is the city of Nain.This research is applied in terms of its purpose and descriptive-analytical in terms of its methodology. The statistical community of the research consisted of two levels of people: city officials, including city managers and city tourism activists, and academic specialists and experts. The sampling method is judgmental; the sample size for the first group was based on theoretical saturation and included seventeen people selected through a semi-structured interview. For the second group, ten people were selected through a questionnaire. Data analysis was done depoying thematic analysis and ISM.The findings of this research showed that, among the 9 main key factors identified, the most important key factor is efficient and effective management.The results of the findings has shown that the realization of the key success factors of creative tourism in Nain also requires the definition of the vision, mission as well as the formulation of clear and specific strategies and policies in this area.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Today, Nain is one of the cities that have diverse capacities for tourism in terms of history, agriculture, nature, handicrafts, and environ. However, these capacities have not been used well, and currently it has lost its past efficiency. Therefore, paying attention to these capacities in the form of creative tourism can not only prevent the reduction of unemployment and exhaustion of the urban spatial system through providing the necessary platforms for the participation of the local community but also through providing the path of creative economic formation create dynamic and ultimately sustainable tourism development in Nayin. Therefore, the current research aims to present the model of the key success factors for creative tourism in Nain while providing a model for the key success factors for the development of creative tourism in Nain. To this end, the present research tries to answer these questions: 1) what are the key success factors for the development of creative tourism in Nain? 2) What is the model of key success factors for the development of creative tourism in Nain?
 
Methodology
This research is applied in terms of its purpose and descriptive-analytical in terms of its methodology. The statistical community of the research consisted of two levels of people: city officials, including city managers and city tourism activists, and academic specialists and experts. The sampling method is judgmental; the sample size for the first group was based on theoretical saturation and included seventeen people selected through a semi-structured interview. For the second group, ten people were selected through a questionnaire. The method of data collection was a field method, and its tool for identification of the key success factors was a semi-structured interview and for modeling the key factors of success was a questionnaire designed by the researcher. For designing the interview protocol, the PESTEL technique was used after reviewing the subject literature. Pairwise comparisons between factors were used to design the researcher-designed questionnaire.Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data in the stage of identifying the key factors for success, and Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) was used to model the key success factors.
 
Results and discussion
The research showed that the key success factors for creative tourism in Nain have been equal to 40 success factors, which are divided into 13 sub-categories named as "optimal and desirable use of traditional elements of tourism", "recreation of the city's tourism capacities", "establishment of manners and local customs", "taking advantage of the capacity of talented and active forces", "organizing and attending various festivals", "advertising and commercial awareness", "increasing interactions with cities inside and outside the country", "the need to implement the laws established in the field tourism", "planning and support of senior managers for the city's tourism activities", "production of specialized educational content", "experiencing the way of tourism production and products", "organization of specialized tours", "segmentation of the city's tourism market". Nine other categories include: "institutionalizing the identity and originality of the city", "institutionalizing the identity and originality of the city”, “innovation and ideation", "city tourism promotion and advertising activities", "expansion of national and international communications and interactions", "adherence to laws", "efficient and effective management", "creation of attractive educational content", "illustration of city tourism elements", "tourism market branding". Later on, in order to analyze the key success factors more precisely, their interpretive structural model was drawn, and the position of each key success factor was examined in it.
 
Conclusion
In the present research, the model of the key success factors for creative tourism in Nain was demonstrated. The results of the theoretical study of the research have shown that creative tourism is the key to success in the competitive industry. It provides the needs of tourists through creative products and services, and its outcome is the relationship between technology, art, and business. Hence, creativity is pervasive in all tourism activities, and all destinations and creative areas benefit from tourism brands and potentials to achieve creative tourism. Furthermore, the comparison of the research findings with the theoretical foundations shows that Nain is one of the cities that have different capacities in tourism in terms of history, agriculture, nature, handicrafts, environ. These capacities in the form of creative tourism includes: appearing with local costume in tourism spaces, showing hospitality as the host community for tourists, gaining experience of how to produce agricultural and animal husbandry, a memorable and leaving nice memories in the minds of tourists, and branding the city's products with a marketing approach. It can also pave the way for the creative and dynamic economic formation and ultimate sustainable development of city tourism. The output of the structural model has shown that the key factor to efficient and effective management is more important than all other stated key factors. Efficient and effective management is important because it can lead to activities and actions of the trustees in the city towards the defined vision and goals for the city. Moreover, this process can realize the basis of the formation of creative tourism according to the existing capacities of the city in the long term.
 
Funding
There is no funding support.
 
Authors’ Contribution
Authors contributed equally to the conceptualization and writing of the article. All of the authors approved thecontent of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work declaration of competing interest none.
 
Conflict of Interest
Authors declared no conflict of interest.
 
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to all the scientific consultants of this paper.

Keywords

Main Subjects

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Human Geography Research
Volume 57, Issue 3
November 2025
Pages 15-36

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