Evaluating the effect of facilities and equipment in Shahrhamadan on the behavioral tendencies of tourists with the mediation of perceptual experience

Evaluating the effect of facilities and equipment in Shahrhamadan on the behavioral tendencies of tourists with the mediation of perceptual experience

1. Hamed Abbasi - Associate Prof., Department of Urban Design, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran. 09188183025, h.abbasi@basu.ac.ir

2. Mohsen Karimi -M.Sc. of Geography and urban tourism planning, Hamedan, Iran.



Introduction

Today, tourism activity is considered as one of the most important and dynamic activities in the world, and it has received the attention of government planners and private companies in all fields at the global, national and regional levels.

One of the most important elements of the urban tourism system is infrastructures, facilities and urban equipment that meet the needs of citizens and tourists. The infrastructure of tourism services is a kind of tourism development platform and plays a big role in getting the satisfaction of tourists. In fact, the tourist's satisfaction is dependent on the level of fulfillment of needs and desires, and in other words, the fulfillment of her expectations of all that she experiences in the tourist destination. Therefore, tourist experience is created as a result of interaction between tourists and the quality of services, facilities and infrastructure of tourist destinations. Hamedan city has provided a suitable position for zoning and planning the equipment of attractions, due to its historical antiquity, the large number of attractions, as well as the variety in them and the type of attractions of this city. However, the tourism industry in this city has not yet found its real place. In this research, an attempt is made to take a step towards predicting the behavioral tendencies of tourists in order to strengthen the tourism industry in this city by examining the mediating role of tourists' experiences.

Methodology

Considering the title of the research and the nature of the research hypothesis, the conducted research is descriptive-analytical. The method of collecting information is library and survey. The statistical population includes all tourists who have traveled to Hamadan city at least once and visited the tourist destinations of this city. Based on Cochran's formula, the sample size was estimated to be 348 people, and the members of the statistical sample were selected using available random sampling method. SPSS 24 and Smart PLS 2 software were used to analyze the research data, and the descriptive indices of the research variables and the correlation matrix between them were calculated by Spss software, and in order to investigate the causal relationships between the variables, structural equation modeling method was used using the least squares technique. partial (PLS2) is used.

Results and discussion

After collecting the data, considering that the parametric tests and structural models are based on the assumption of normality of the data, so first the normality test was performed with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) method. The Z-statistic is less than (1.96) and the significance level is more than (0.05) for each of the research variables, indicating the normality of the data used in the research. Next, using Pearson's correlation coefficient, the presence or absence of a relationship between the indicators was investigated. The results show a positive and significant relationship between the research variables. Obtaining coefficients of determination of 0.435 and 0.709 by the two variables of tourists' experiences and their behavioral tendencies in the Stone-Geyser criterion shows the strong prediction of the endogenous variables by the exogenous variables of the model. The correlation coefficient between the two variables of infrastructures of tourist destinations and experiences perceived by tourists is equal to (0.56) and the significance level is equal to 0.00 (minimum of 0.05), which indicates the existence of a positive and significant relationship. It has two variables. Also, the correlation coefficient between the two variables of tourism destination infrastructure and tourists' behavioral tendencies is equal to (0.43) and the significance level is equal to 0.00 (less than 0.05). This shows that there is a positive and significant relationship between the two variables. The path coefficient between two variables is equal to (0.660). In other words, upgrading the infrastructure of tourist destinations has a direct effect of 66% on the experiences of tourists .Also, the path coefficient between two variables is equal to (0.137). In other words, upgrading the infrastructure of tourist destinations has a direct effect on the behavioral tendencies of tourists to the extent of (13.7) percent. The value of the t statistic obtained for the above path is equal to (2.24), which is greater than (1.96), it can be said that the above path is significant at the 95% confidence level, which confirms the hypothesis H1 and rejects it. The hypothesis is H0.

Conclusion

The findings of the research showed that the quality of tourism infrastructure has a positive and significant effect on the behavioral tendencies of tourists. In fact, the behavioral tendencies of tourists are the results of service evaluation and a set of numerous behavioral and non-behavioral responses that depends on the individual's satisfaction is formed And it can lead to verbal recommendations to others and revisiting the tourist destination in the form of the concept of behavioral tendencies. According to the obtained result, it can be said, The tourist experience is created as a result of interaction between tourists and the quality of services, facilities and infrastructure of tourist destinations. In the above research, focusing on the effect of tourism infrastructure on the behavioral tendencies of tourists, the mediating role of tourists' experiences was examined, and as a result of the above hypothesis test, the mediating role of the mentioned variable was confirmed. In other words, the trustees and planners in the field of tourism in Hamedan city, through strengthening the hard and soft infrastructures of tourist destinations, can create a suitable platform for creating sweet and memorable memories for tourists. that this mental process caused by the objective manifestations ultimately stimulates tourists to revisit the tourist destination and advertise the destination to others.

Keywords: facilities and equipment, behavioral tendencies, tourism, Hamedan city.