Assessing tourism capabilities and its role in urban development with emphasis on strategic planning (Case study: Kerman)

Subject Areas : Sustainable urban development

mohammadreza rezaeei ¹ , moslem ghasemi ²

1 - Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran
2 - PhD student in Geography and Urban Planning, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran

Received: 2021-12-12 Accepted : 2022-01-30 Published : 2022-03-21

Keywords: " Qspm", " Strategic Planning", Urban Tourism", " Kerman, " Meta Swot",

Abstract :

          Tourism is the engine of economic development and one of the factors in reducing poverty in rural and urban areas and has had negative and positive effects on tourist destinations. In this regard, strategic planning can be considered as a response to the problems caused by lack of proper planning in tourism. At the core of tourism, like all other business activities, the "tourism strategy" must be embodied, and among the strategic planning models used in tourism development, especially in urban tourism, is the qspm strategic model. Therefore, in the present article, while recognizing and introducing some of the tourist attractions of Kerman and its role in the development of the city, we have tried to present the strategy and solutions for the tourism industry of Kerman. This research is methodical in terms of method and applied in terms of purpose. (From the perspective of 50 officials and tourists) has been done. The data were then entered and analyzed in exel software and then analyzed using the qspm strategic model. The results of the final analysis of the internal and external factors evaluation matrices indicate that according to the average of the final scores obtained for internal factors with a score of 2.713 and for external factors with a score of 2.98, the studied strategic strategy, penetration strategy in Market and product development strategy. Finally, based on the evaluation of the average scores of competitive strategies in the quantitative strategic planning matrix, the strategy to pay attention to the development of cultural, natural and ecotourism tourism due to the comparative advantages for the development of this type of tourism as the most important strategy for sustainable tourism development in Kerman. It is recommended for the sustainable development of urban tourism in the city.Extended AbstractIntroduction:       The tourism industry in the new era has become one of the main pillars of the world trade economy and today it is referred to as an invisible industry in the process of globalization. one of the centers that has the potential to develop tourism in eastern Iran is the city of Kerman, this city due to its special location and location in the eastern part of Iran and also due to having special climatic and climatic conditions and History has unique abilities and capabilities to attract tourists.  Identifying the bottlenecks and opportunities ahead and proper and wise planning for the development of this industry in this province is inevitable. Therefore, based on what has been stated, the key question of the article can be formulated as follows: What are the limitations and capabilities for the development of tourism in Kerman (weaknesses and strengths, opportunities and threats)? And the sustainable development of tourism in the city of Kerman depends on the adoption of which strategy?Methodology:      This research is methodical in terms of method and applied in terms of purpose. (From the perspective of 50 officials and tourists) has been done. Method of collecting documentary information by referring and taking notes from library documents and also in field studies by sampling method (Cochran method), direct observation, interview, taking photos, videos and for analyzing information from Qspm and soft strategic technique SPSS and EXCEL software are used. The statistical population studied in this article consists of experts and officials of devices and institutions related to urban tourism, of which 50 people have been selected as a sample. Then, according to the analysis of the four factors of strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities, a questionnaire containing 20 five-choice questionnaires was obtained. The questions based on the Likert scale consisted of 5 options: very high - high - medium - low and very low. In order to analyze the information and present a strategic model for the development of urban tourism, the Qspm analytical method and Meta-SWOT software have been used. And then by consulting experts and officials and giving weight to each of these issues and then calculating and analyzing them, priorities were identified and to eliminate or reduce weaknesses and threats and strengthen and improve strengths and opportunities. In connection with the development of urban tourism, finally, appropriate strategies have been presented.Results and discussion:        To analyze the data obtained from completing the questionnaires, one of the models for assessing and analyzing the situation in order to measure the potential, which is the strategic planning model known as SWOT, has been used. This model is one of the strategic tools to match the strengths and weaknesses within the system with the opportunities and threats outside the system. This analytical model involves the systematic identification of factors with which the strategy should be best adapted. The rationale for this approach is that an effective strategy should minimize the strengths and opportunities of the system and the weaknesses and threats. Its most common application is to provide a logical framework for systematically guiding system discussions, various strategies, and ultimately strategy selection. In the present study, while identifying the weaknesses and threats that endanger the tourism industry of Kerman and can affect urban development, the capabilities and opportunities in the tourism industry of Kerman are also tried. To be clearly stated and reviewed, and effective strategies and strategies in this field were extracted from expert opinions. In this regard, after collecting these weaknesses and strengths related to tourism and urban tourism in Kerman and providing them to experts for review and scoring, entered the software and analyzed model and while presenting We have achieved appropriate solutions in this regard, which can also be effective in urban development, by providing a comprehensive and specific strategy.Conclusion:        In terms of tourism in Kerman, the factor of numerous historical places and monuments in the city of Kerman with a weight of 0.037 and the factor of infrastructure development and profitability for both tourists and indigenous people with a weight of 0.040 is the greatest strength and opportunity in Kerman for Urban tourism is considered and the factor of unwillingness to invest in the tourism sector of Kerman with a weight of 0.039 and the factor of seasonal tourism of Kerman with a weight of 0.060 are the biggest weakness and threat to tourism in Kerman.Preliminary results of the internal factors evaluation matrix showed that the location and proximity of Kerman city near the most important desert tourism hub of the province, namely Lot desert and Shahdad clots as the most important internal strength and inefficient and inefficient management in urban tourism as the most important weakness of the city. Kerman and in the evaluation matrix of external factors, the location of Kerman city as a tourism hub in the east of the country was mentioned as the most important foreign advantage and in the opposite point, the main external threatening factor was the lack of government support. In addition, the results of the final analysis of the internal and external factors evaluation matrices indicated that according to the average final scores obtained for internal factors with a score of 2.713 and for external factors with a score of 2.98, the strategic tourism strategy The city of Kerman is a market penetration strategy and a product development strategy. Finally, based on the evaluation of the average scores of competitive strategies in the quantitative strategic planning matrix, the strategy of attention and emphasis on the development of cultural, natural and ecotourism because of the comparative advantages for the development of this type of tourism as the most important strategy for sustainable tourism development. A city in Kerman is proposed for the sustainable development of urban tourism. In addition, the results of field studies in the city of Kerman, as a sample of studies, showed that the SWOT method, as a valuable and efficient strategic method, has been able to integrate the bottlenecks and opportunities of urban tourism in an integrated way and in the form of development paradigm. Explain the sustainable urban tourism in the study area, so that the findings of field studies and objective observations are well consistent with the realities in the city of Kerman. Thus, this method and indicators designed as a model in other urban areas of the country can be used to analyze the bottlenecks and opportunities of urban tourism facing urban tourism with a strategic approach.

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