Journal of Tourism & Hospitality
Open Access

Abstract

A Strategic Approach to Tourism Development Barriers in Iran

Nima Golghamat Raad*

This research aims to have a strategic approach to the barriers that have hampered the development of the tourism industry in Iran. This study shows the application of MADM and strategic management tools in national tourism policy-making. In this research, PESTEL analysis is used to identify and classify the barriers that hamper tourism development in Iran. Then the Friedman test is carried out to rank the barriers. Then, the DEMATEL technique is used to determine cause and effect relationships between different types of barriers. After that, Importance- Performance analysis is done to identify the barriers that are the first priority of the country and need immediate attention. Finally, a set of strategies are proposed, evaluated, and ranked by CRITIC and VIKOR methods. This study identifies the most important issues and barriers to tourism development in Iran and proposes the most effective strategies to overcome those barriers. As the current tourism development strategies in Iran are proved to be ineffective and the situation of Iran in the international tourism industry is not comparable with the high potentials of this country, a strategic approach to tourism development barriers is absolutely necessary and valuable.

Published Date: 2019-09-13; Received Date: 2019-08-18