درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Takht-e Foulad in Isfahan stands as a significant tourist destination, embodying Iran’s rich spiritual, cultural, religious, and historical heritage. While primarily recognized as a cemetery, its diverse tourism aspects position it as a prominent cultural complex with the potential to serve as a “cultural tourism theme park.” This study examines the complex’s role in Isfahan’s tourism development through a spiritual lens, based on quantitative research conducted from autumn 2021 to summer 2022. Data collection methods included documentary research, library resources, and questionnaires. Analytical findings highlight an inherent spirituality within the Takht-e Foulad Complex, necessitating a holistic approach that integrates the perspectives of tourists, the site, and the local community. The study categorizes the complex’s tourism dimensions into heritage, religious, and event tourism, aiming to craft a spiritually-oriented tourism strategy that contributes to Isfahan’s broader tourism development. The final model presents practical recommendations and strategies to promote spirituality while advancing tourism within the Takht-e Foulad Complex.

This study investigates the mediating role of mobile application satisfaction in the relationship between positive intercultural encounters, cultural intelligence, and tourist experience. It addresses a critical gap in understanding how digital tools facilitate meaningful cross-cultural engagement within tourism contexts. This applied, descriptive-analytical research was conducted among 371 tourists visiting Yazd Province, selected through simple random sampling. Validity was confirmed through convergent and discriminant validity assessments, and reliability was established via Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability. Multivariate normality was confirmed. Subsequently, the hypothesized relationships were examined using SEM in Amos24, employing the robust Maximum Likelihood (MLR) estimation method to ensure robust parameter estimates. Results indicate that while the direct effects between intercultural encounters and cultural intelligence and tourist experience were nonsignificant, significant indirect effects emerged through mobile app satisfaction. Intercultural encounters positively predicted app satisfaction, which in turn enhanced cultural intelligence and tourist experience.  Bootstrapping confirmed significant mediation for cultural intelligence and tourist experience.  Mobile applications serve as pivotal conduits for transforming intercultural interactions into enhanced cultural competence and enriched travel experiences. These findings underscore the importance of digital infrastructure in modern tourism management and offer practical implications for experience design.

This research explores the challenges and opportunities facing Iran’s hospitality industry from a cultural and historical perspective, with a particular focus on creative tourism. Given the nature of the subject, the study employs a descriptive research method. In terms of data collection, a qualitative approach was adopted. The statistical population comprises managers and deputies within the hospitality industry in Isfahan province. To determine the appropriate number of participants, the saturation rule was applied, ultimately resulting in a sample of 20 individuals selected through purposive sampling. Data collection was conducted using field methods and a semi-structured interview process. The collected data were then analyzed using MaxQDA software. The findings highlight several key strategies for enhancing creative tourism in Isfahan’s hospitality sector. These include developing local experiences, improving the quality of creative services, diversifying tour offerings, establishing local collaboration networks, leveraging technological marketing, and supporting local businesses. 

Historic houses are among the key tourist attractions in arid regions. Kashan, a city located in the arid zones of Iran, is home to numerous historic houses. This study aims to assess the potential of Kashan’s historic houses to attract tourists using the Pralong model. The tourism grade for each house was determined based on several indicators, including physical beauty, scientific value, historical-cultural significance, and socio-economic impact. Data collection involved library research, documentary analysis, and surveys. The results indicate that, in terms of tourism standards, Borujerdi House ranks first. According to statistics from the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism, as well as the Pralong model, Borujerdi House holds the top position in attracting tourists, followed by Sharifian House, Ameri House, Tabatabaei House, and Abbasian House. Borujerdi House received the highest score in aesthetic value, while Ameri House ranked first in scientific value.

Pro-Poor Tourism (PPT) shifts the focus of tourism development by centering poverty alleviation within inclusive growth, empowerment, and sustainability, aiming to generate economic opportunities, enhancing skills, and uplifting marginalized communities, particularly in rural and underserved areas. This study evaluates PPT's effectiveness using a mixed-methods approach, combining a literature review with empirical data collected from Ameri neighborhood in Ahwaz city, Iran. Drawing on global PPT frameworks, the research identifies and assesses four key criteria: Economic Benefits, Social/Governance, Social/ Cultural, and Environmental Sustainability. Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Technical experts prioritized Economic Benefits as the most critical criterion, emphasizing on Income Generation and Employment Opportunities. This aligns with literature highlighting economic empowerment’s role in poverty alleviation. However, local community responses indicated only moderate alignment with expert priorities, suggesting a potential gap between expert models and community needs. In contrast, local residents prioritized Governance Structures and Stakeholder Engagement, indicating the importance of participatory governance. They also rated Sustainable Resource Use and Eco-Friendly Practices highly, although receiving less emphasis from experts. Notable discrepancies emerged in perceptions regarding Community Well-Being, Social Equity, and Cultural Preservation, with significant variation among local responses, indicating uncertainty or dissatisfaction in these aspects. The findings supports a multidimensional PPT approach that balances economic gains with inclusive governance, cultural values, and environmental stewardship. By aligning expert insights with local realities, this study provides practical guidance for achieving equitable and sustainable tourism development, especially in ecologically and culturally sensitive regions like Ameri.

In order to improve the quality of women's personal, professional and family lives while addressing financial concerns, it is essential to consider the improvement of women's working conditions from multiple perspectives. In this regard, the research objective was to investigate the impact of working background conditions on the economic welfare of women employed in handicrafts in less developed rural areas. The statistical population includes all female workers in less developed rural areas of Iran in 2025 who are employed in handicrafts sector. The sampling method used was random cluster with a total of 380 samples selected according to Morgan's table. In order to collect the required data, a questionnaire prepared by the researcher was used, which included two sections to assess economic welfare and working background conditions. The results of the study systematically show that the dimensions of "unbiased behavior in work”, "balance between work and life”, and "social support" have the most significant impact on the economic welfare of women engaged in handicrafts. The findings of this study underscore the necessity of implementing targeted support policies to enhance equitable organizational practices, fortify work-life balance, and broaden social support networks as pivotal strategies for enhancing the economic welfare of rural women.

Spiritual experiences are essential to individual well-being, offering profound emotional, psychological, and religious benefits. Pilgrimage sites, especially sacred spaces, provide a unique environment for pilgrims to experience personal renewal and spiritual transformation. This study investigates the spiritual experiences of young pilgrims at the Razavi Holy Shrine in Mashhad, Iran, a key pilgrimage site for Shia Muslims. Using an exploratory-descriptive qualitative approach and thematic analysis, the research identifies three main themes: Spiritual Well-being, Connectedness, and Consciousness, each with several subthemes. Spiritual Well-being encompasses positive emotions, energy, happiness, purification, and peace and tranquility, emphasizing the emotional uplift and inner peace experienced by pilgrims. Connectedness includes pilgrims’ connection with God, expressing needs and seeking divine favor, receiving blessings and assistance, and fostering ties with religion and holy leaders. This highlights the shrine’s role in deepening spiritual bonds and providing divine support. Consciousness involves experiences of detachment from routine life, timelessness, self-reflection, and religious awareness, illustrating how the pilgrimage fosters introspection and spiritual enlightenment. These findings contribute to the understanding of religious pilgrimage and spiritual transformation, offering valuable insights for scholars, policymakers, and pilgrimage site administrators. Recognizing the dimensions of spiritual experiences can enhance spiritual tourism and guide future research on spiritual psychology and the transformative power of sacred spaces.