A Strategic model for the development of creative sports tourism in Shahrood City using SWOT and Fuzzy techniques

Subject Areas : Environment, economy, engineering, urban planning and sustainable development

Marzieh Fathani ¹ , Bagher Morsal ^{2 *} , Ali Fahiminejad ³ , Naser Bai ⁴

1 - Department of Physical Education, Sha.C., Islamic Azad University, Shahrood, Iran
2 - Department of Physical Education, Sha.C., Islamic Azad University, Shahrood, Iran
3 - Department of Physical Education, Sha.C., Islamic Azad University, Shahrood, Iran
4 - Department of Physical Education, Az.C., Islamic Azad University, Azadshahr, Iran

Received: 2025-08-18 Accepted : 2025-10-16 Published : 2025-11-26

Keywords: Creative sports tourism, Strategic model, Nature tourism, Fuzzy hierarchical analysis, Shahrood,

Abstract :

The purpose of this research is to formulate a strategic model for the development of creative sports tourism in Shahrood City. The research process comprised four stages: first, effective natural attractions were identified through library studies and interviews; second, following the guidelines of the Sports and Environment Commission of Iran, the study area was zoned for suitable recreational and sports activities using GIS tools and ArcView software; third, through in-depth study and a Delphi panel, the effective components were identified and categorized; and fourth, the internal and external environments were analyzed with a SWOT matrix, while the selected strategies were prioritized using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP). The results indicated the identification of nine types of natural attractions and 35 categories of activities. Based on ecosystem diversity, the study site can be divided into three main areas and six zones. In total, 12 strengths and 8 weaknesses were identified; the total score of internal factors (strengths and weaknesses) was 2.607, indicating that strengths outweigh weaknesses in the creative sports tourism management of Shahrood City. The matrix of external factors showed that 13 opportunities and 19 threats were identified; according to the total score from the evaluation matrix of external factors (2.02), threats currently prevail over opportunities in the management of creative sports tourism. Based on these scores and the evaluation of the internal and external environment, competitive strategies (leveraging strengths to mitigate threats) are recommended as the most suitable strategic orientation for the present context.

References:

[1] UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization), 2016, Tourism facts and figures. (Available online: www.unwto.org).
[2] Richards, G., 2010, Tourism development trajectories: From culture to creativity?. Tourism & Management Studies, 6, 9.
[3] Dixon, N., 2018, The proper place for external motivations for sport and why they need not subvert its internal goods. Sport, Ethics and Philosophy, 12, 361.
[4] Keller, P., Breiter, M., Duc N., Salamin F., 2001, Sport & tourism: Introductory report. 1st World Conference on Sport and Tourism, Barcelona, Spain.
[5] Chengo, M., Bitok, J., Maingi, S.W., 2024, Crowd management, risk assessment strategies and sports tourism events in Nairobi County, Kenya. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 7(1), 46.
[6] Jeong, Y., Yu, A., Kim, S.-K., 2020, The antecedents of tourists’ behavioral intentions at sporting events: The case of South Korea. Sustainability, 12(1), 333.
[7] Njoroge, J.M., Atieno, L., Vieira Do Nascimento, D., 2017, Sports tourism and perceived socio-economic impact in Kenya: The case of Machakos County. Tourism and Hospitality Management, 23(2), 195.
[8] Still, K., Papalexi, M., Fan, Y., Bamford, D., 2020, Place crowd safety, crowd science? Case studies and application. Journal of Place Management and Development, 13, 385.
[9] Safaipour, M., Jafari, Y., 2021, Analysis of the status of creative tourism components in the metropolises of Tabriz as the capital of tourism in Islamic countries. Journal of Applied Researches in Geographical Sciences, 21(60), 107. (in Persian)
[10] Rasoli, N., Mousavi, M., Houshyar, H., 2021, Explaining creative tourism in the city of Urmia with a foresight approach, Urban Planning Knowledge, 4(4), 101.
[11] Van der Wagen, L., White, L., 2018, Event management: For tourism, cultural, business and sporting events. 5th Edition, Cengage.
[12] Lindroth, K., Ritalahti, J., Soisalon‐Soininen, T., 2007, Creative tourism in destination development. Tourism Review, 62(3-4), 53.
[13] Dias, A., González-Rodríguez, M.R., Patuleia, M., 2021, Developing poor communities through creative tourism. Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change, 19(4), 509.
[14] Duxbury, N., Bakas, F.E., Vinagre-de-Castro, T., Silva, S., 2021, Creative tourism development models towards sustainable and regenerative tourism. Sustainability, 13(1), 2.
[15] UNESCO, 2006, Towards sustainable strategies for creative tourism: Discussion report of the planning meeting for 2008 international conference on creative tourism, Towards Sustainable Strategies for Creative Tourism, 25-27 October, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.
[16] Ciomaga, B., 2013, Sport management: A bibliometric study on central themes and trends. European Sport Management Quarterly, 13(5), 557.
[17] Fry, J., Bloyce, D., 2017, ‘Life in the travelling circus’: A study of loneliness, work stress, and money issues in touring professional golf. Sociology of Sport Journal, 34(2), 148.
[18] Khorasani, M., Heidari, G., 2020, Strategic management of Shahriar recreational tourism development based on PESTEL model. Journal of Urban Tourism, 6(4), 73. (in Persian)
[19] Doosti, F., Zal, M.H., Ramezanzadeh Lasbouee, M., 2019, Assessing the capacities of creative tourism in Tabriz city. Journal of Urban Tourism, 6(2), 1. (in Persian)
[20] Kim, K.A., Byon, K.K., Baek, W., Williams, A.S., 2019, Examining structural relationships among sport service environments, excitement, consumer-to-consumer interaction, and consumer citizenship behaviors. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 82, 318.
[21] Salaripour, A., Hesam, M., Baradaran, A., 2020, Explaining the creative tourism development strategies of Rasht city, Journal of Urban Tourism, 7(3), 127. (in Persian)
[22] Rosentraub, M.S., Joo, M., 2009, Tourism and economic development: Which investments produce gains for regions?. Tourism Management, 30, 759.
[23] Sleuwaegen, L., Boiardi, P., 2014, Creativity and regional innovation: Evidence from EU regions, Research Policy, 43, 1508.
[24] Hull, J.S., Sassenberg, U., 2012, Creating new cultural visitor experiences on islands: Challenges and opportunities. Journal of Tourism, Consumption and Practice, 4(2), 91.
[25] Gerrard, B., 2015, Rigour and relevance in sport management: Reconciling the competing demands of disciplinary research and user-value. European Sport Management Quarterly, 15, 505.
[26] Newman, J.I., 2014, Sport without management. Journal of Sport Management, 28, 603.
[27] Ghasemi, H., Kashkar, S., Nourbakhsh, M., 2012, Principles of sports organization and management. Tehran: Science and Movement Publishing House, pp. 312. (in Persian)
[28] Mosayebian Rizi, M., Mosayebi, S., 2021, Analysis of the role of creative tourism development in increasing social participation, Tourism Management Studies, 16(55), 319. (in Persian)
[29] Forouzesh Khobdeh, A., Imani Hersini, J., Khorasani, N., 2021, Developing a strategic tourism management plan for Hormuz Island. Renewable Natural Resources Research, 12(1), 133. (in Persian)
[30] Beiki, P., Tardest, Z., 2018, Evaluating the quality of urban tourism destination components in terms of destination management (Case study: Ferdowsi Tomb, Tous Town). Journal of Urban Tourism, 5(1), 53. (in Persian)
[31] Statistical Center of Iran, 1401, Population and housing statistical yearbook, 5-year estimate. (Available online: https://amar.org.ir).
[32] Morsal, B., 2017, Presenting a model for locating sports spaces in Shahrood using GIS. Research Project, Islamic Azad University, Shahrood Branch. (in Persian)
[33] Hosseini, S., Tayebi Sani, S.M., Morsal, B., Fahimi-Nejad, A., 2019, Developing sports management strategies by utilizing natural attractions in Shahrood city using remote sensing system (RS). Ph.D. Thesis. (in Persian)
[34] National Olympic Committee, Sports and Environment Commission, 2021, Guide to sustainable sports tourism in the country's natural areas, 1st Edition, pp. 67.
[35] Forzieri, G., Gardenti, M., Caparrini, F., Castelli, F., 2008, A methodology for the pre-selection of suitable sites for surface and underground small dams in arid areas: A case study in the region of Kidal, Mali. Physics and Chemistry of The Earth, 33, 74.
[36] Bahmanpour, H., Leghai, H., Salajqeh, B., 2014, Re-identifying the natural attractions of Shahrood County in line with the development of sustainable sports tourism. 1st National Conference of Nature Tourism in Iran, Shiraz, Iran. (in Persian)
[37] Mojtabawi, K., Bahmanpour, H., 2008, Sports tourism. National Olympic Committee of Iran Publications, Tehran, pp. 72. (in Persian)
[38] Makhdoom, M., Darvish-Safat, A., Jafarzadeh, H., 2002, Environmental geographic information system, assessment and planning. Tehran University Press, pp. 242. (in Persian).
[39] Dorbiki, M., 2013, Developing indicators of sustainable tourism management in Iranian national parks with emphasis on indigenous perspectives; a case study of Golestan National Park. Ph.D. Thesis. Sciences and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University. (in Persian)
[40] Rahmati, M., 2022, Strategic planning for tourism development in Sarein city. Journal of Studies of Human Settlements Planning, 17(1), 191. (in Persian)