زهرا پورجوپاری

The aim of this research was to design a religious tourism model in Kerman City. The research strategy was Grounded Theory. The statistical population included 14 experts and officials in the tourism sector who were selected using purposive sampling. Theoretical saturation was achieved at interview 12, after which subsequent interviews yielded no additional open codes. The data collection tool was a semi-structured interview. The findings showed that the causal factors include the existence of Kerman's high attractions and potential in the field of religious tourism, the location of various religious and spiritual places in and around the city of Kerman, the image of Kerman as a religious city with a rich cultural history, the strategic location of the province as a domestic and international transit route. The contextual factors include the city's tourism infrastructure and the area surrounding religious places, planning and development, opportunity recognition, participation and encouragement of the private sector, changing managers' attitudes, developing an economic perspective on tourism, a holistic and strategic perspective on tourism, and urban branding in the field of religious tourism. The intervening factors included, weakness in tourism infrastructure, Kerman's remoteness from other tourism destinations, attention to tourists' behavior, some officials and citizens' unfamiliarity with the concept of religious tourism, lack of focus on sustainable tourism, institutional and managerial challenges, lack of attention to religious tourism target groups are considered as obstacles to development in this area.