درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

The purpose of the present study is to identify and prioritize spiritual-based tourism strategies in Qom province. The present study is interpretive from the philosophical foundations point of view and is applied from the point of view of orientation. It is also a survey in terms of data collection and from a methodological point of view, it is qualitative. The statistical population of the study is the experts and managers in the field of tourism and the sampling method is judgmental. 10 experts were selected from among the samples. In order to carry out the research, internal and external factors affecting the spiritual-based tourism in Qom province were identified through reviewing the literature and interviewing experts. After the internal and external factors were screened, 15 internal and 14 external factors remained. In addition, the nature of internal and external factors was identified in terms of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and the most effective factors were determined by using the DEMATEL technique for preparing the SWOT table. With identifying the final list of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, strategies were prioritized from the perspective of research experts by ARAS method. Three strategies to support provincial headquarters, banks and entrepreneurship funds from web-based tourism businesses and social networks, defining research priorities of tourism-related organizations based on civil society support, and strengthening  training programs to justify diversity in the community and its benefits had the highest priority.

While categorization of human beings into various subgroups in terms of their race, ethnicity, gender, religion, nationality and alike is not a new phenomenon but such a diversity in communities all around the world has drawn much attention to the issue in recent years due to the increasing importance of equality for governments and societies. Workplaces are among those contexts which are proposed to equality issues and are trying to deal with it utilizing different approaches among which creating spirituality in workplace is a noteworthy one. Tourism businesses are not an exception in this regard and are faced with the diversity challenge especially in terms of interaction between different cultures throughout the industry. Additionally, it seems that organizational outcome is influenced by level of diversity at the workplace. Therefore, this paper adopts a developmental descriptive-analytical approach implemented by documentary analysis to discuss the relationship between diversity management and organizational outcome and provides a theoretical model indicating how workplace spirituality (WPS) mediates the relationship between cultural diversity management and organizational outcome in tourism businesses since cultural diversity is as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature and can be a source of competitive advantage for businesses as well.

Tour guides are considered as one of the key players within the tourism supply chain, serving as direct interfaces with visitors and acting as cultural mediators between diverse cultures. They exert a significant influence on tourists' intentions for repeat visits. Nowadays, tourists are not merely seeking basic information from guides, as they can easily access such information online. Instead, they are in search of creative, authentic, interactive experiences with participatory learning, demanding the presence of creativity in tour guides. Consequently, guides need to demonstrate new forms of creativity in their performance. Creativity is a pivotal aspect for achieving professional success in the realm of tour guiding. The depth of their professional knowledge and their creative abilities significantly impact the quality of tours and the portrayal of destinations. As cultural intelligence is one of the critical dimensions of creativity, this research aims to explore the relationship between cultural intelligence and the creativity of tour guides. Using a library review method, it examines the role of cultural intelligence, its dimensions, and indicators. Ultimately, it presents a conceptual framework for fostering the creativity of tour guides, grounded in the principles of cultural intelligence.

Arguably, all people are spiritual. We will, at different stages, seek meaning and connection, and seek transcendence through self-improvement. Often, this personal quest will begin or resume, or be addressed more fervently after a personal event that leads to an awakening of one’s spirituality. This paper considers how transformative life experiences lead people to engage their spiritual side, and specifically how they may seek to do so through their experience of travel. Through 18 months of in-depth phenomenological data collection, this paper analyses the personal narratives of 11 tourists who experienced volunteer tourism after experiencing life events that facilitated a spiritual awakening. This paper finds that experiences such as the death of a close family member, the facing of mortality, or existential crisis can lead to a motivation to travel, and that travel can be deeply spiritual. It posits the question: In the year 2017, with great global and personal uncertainty, is the desire for spiritual growth through travel becoming more mainstream and urgent?

The objective of this study is to investigate the extent of spirituality in various types of tourism, and to test the hypothesis of the existence of common spiritual experiences among all types of tourists. McKercher's typology of cultural tourists and Norman's (2012) typology of tourists' spiritual experiences were applied to classify various groups of spiritual tourists participating in each type of tourism activity. The study population consisted of all individuals who have travelled with the purpose of pilgrimage, recreation, visiting cultural historical attractions, business, visiting religious sites, or participating in ecotourism and nature-based tourism. Sampling was done based on the convenience method according to the size and nature of the target population. Finally, it was concluded that most pilgrims and visitors to the religious sites were purposeful and sightseeing spiritual tourists with a deep intention to search for spiritual growth. Also, among nature-based tourists, ecotourists, business and recreational tourists, and those who had traveled to visit cultural and historical sites, a considerable number were Casual, Incidental and Serendipitous Spiritual Tourists, whilst only a small proportion had purposefully travelled for spiritual growth. Nevertheless, the research indicates the existence of at least one powerful element of spirituality in all types of tourism. 

Recreation and entertainment are among the major objectives and intentions of tourism. The reasons put forward by tourists include escaping quotidian life and social interactions. Relying on the Muslim mystics’ view of the real nature of human being, this article offers an analysis of escaping quotidian life and environment in the discovery of real identity and studies the role of traveling in this regard. This analysis showed that from the Muslim mystics’ viewpoint, the real nature of humans is impoverishment and desperate need for a raison d’etre. Meantime, social interactions and affiliation with minor and major social groups overshadow such identity and create obstacles in the way of self-awareness. That explains why the disciples of Islamic Sufism were recommended retreatment. Even today, traveling and tourism provide such an opportunity for humans to distance themselves from the social groups and classes they belong to for some time and gain spiritual experience through a more precise perception of their own reality

Place is major element of tourism activity, and therefore most tourism programs are based on that criterion. One of the main goals of tourism planning and management is assisting tourists in order to achieve deep understanding of a destination. In this regard, the way in which Place is being studied and interpreted plays a crucial role in realizing the goal of tourism. Landscape Science, as an objective-subjective phenomenon, introduces new ways to interpret place and landscape based on which tourists receive information about place and also enter a Holistic World described by landscape literature. This paper reviews education and training methods and investigates tourism as a knowledge system that is able to discover the latent meaning of the place. Adopting the landscape tourism approach is therefore a prerequisite for the perception of the meaning of places.  

This paper proposes a model for managing sustainable intercultural communication in the tourism industry of Iran and Oman, with a focus on the role of media. The study employed the grounded theory method and paradigm model, using in-depth literature review, background analysis, and interviews with relevant experts to answer research questions. The coding process involved open, central, and selective coding techniques. The model identifies the need for a combination of Bourdieu's capitals to achieve sustainable management of intercultural communication through the media, and emphasizes the importance of accepting globalization as a platform for positive changes in tourism. The model also highlights the need for institutionalizing the role of the media in sustainable intercultural communication, and developing the concept of tourism as hot and cool media. Other key factors include the development of regulations in proportion to contemporary world requirements, training of managers and citizens, and the need for stable intercultural relations. The model proposes action strategies such as extensively using media to develop regular intercultural ties, and the application of technology as a tool for sustainable development of tourism and social media. The proposed model explains the role of virtual media in improving sustainable intercultural communication management in the tourism industry, and could aid in optimal employment of virtual media in this field.