Comparison of Tourists' Pre- and Post- Intentionality Attitudes towards Tourism Effects(مقاله علمی وزارت علوم)
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Intentionality is a form of received and perceptual awareness through which humans relate to their geographical lifeworld. This awareness is acquired both objectively and, at times, subjectively, and is shaped through various mediating factors. In the context of urban tourism, the structure of such intentionality is grounded in phenomenological and post-phenomenological approaches, emerging from the relational dynamics between humans and tourism elements. The present study aims to explore the manner and conditions of tourists' intentional perception—tourists being positioned as the observer (subject) toward tourism artifacts and sites—considered as the observed (object). The research methodology is qualitative, based on phenomenological and post-phenomenological perspectives, and employs semi-structured interviews conducted with tourists in the city of Zanjan.Data were analyzed using the grounded theory model, involving open, axial, and selective coding. The resulting categories were interpreted and classified within the contextual framework of factors, mediators, and symbols of intentionality. Findings indicate that tourists’ awareness and understanding differ between initial (prior) and subsequent (posterior) stages of intentionality and follow a developmental trajectory. Categories such as attractions, religion, handicrafts, traditional markets, contemporary history, and mummification—which characterized the initial stage—give way in the subsequent stage to religion, culture and beliefs, architecture and identity, history and civilization, diversity of heritage, and heritage preservation, reflecting a shift in the mental structure of perception. As a result, touristic intentionality is influenced by direct observation, length of stay, and various intermediating factors (such as services, support systems, interpretation, and guidance). Ultimately, it is a function of the volume and quality of information received from the objects (tourism elements) through the mediating role of the subjects (tourists).