Tourism Enterprises Marketing Management and Upgrading Situation of Tourist Sites to Achieve Sustainable Regional Economic Development

Abstract

This article is the result of applied research on the use of potential tourist resources to remove obstacles to the development of tourism marketing and subsequently cause tourism business growth to improve the quality of life in the host communities. The method to achieve this goal is practical and straightforward: First, specific indicators are introduced to measure the rate of destruction/degradation of tourist sites in a period. Then, by referring to the opinions of tourism business experts, official administration managers, and tourists and by using a mathematical model, the financial losses of the tourism business at tourist sites and resulting total economic losses of the tourism business due to the delay in the reconstruction/upgrading of indicators at tourism sites are calculated. A model is developed and simulated for 10 tourist sites in Iran to calculate the damages to 38 indicators in the period of 1978–2019. In the next step, the weaknesses and threats related to Iran’s tourism business are discovered to reform the indicators, especially those related to planning, policymaking, and the democratic rights of tourists and the host community and to the necessary infrastructure and provision of decent services. Field studies reveal that the number of visitors to the 10 tourist sites since 2014 has declined on average from 8% to 25% due to the implementation of Sharia law, the violation of democracy, and the lack of necessary infrastructure. The model that this article proposes for economic growth through the development of the tourism business may feasibly be applied to similar tourist site areas.

1. Introduction

The tourism business has caused the social, cultural, economic, and physical development of many cities and villages around the world, such as the coastal areas of Goa in India [1]. Over time, the tourism business, which includes many types of tourism corporations and activities, creates a significant share of the gross national product of the countries that consider it. All kinds of tourist activities, such as adventure tourism, accessible tourism, agritourism, atomic tourism, birth tourism, business tourism, cultural tourism, experiential travel, etc., are possible as affected by the natural, cultural, economic, and social situations of countries, which require diverse tourism enterprises and policies [2]. Countries that can attract tourists due to their natural, cultural, sports, scientific, industrial, and medical attractions, etc., are increasingly paying more attention to developing this industry and trying to identify and remove obstacles to its development, particularly through better marketing. According to the World Tourism Organization, countries that have made significant financial and human investments in the tourism business could dramatically increase their GDP, create numerous job opportunities, facilitate their sustainable development, and improve the quality of life [3]. Although attractive tourist sites benefit from a larger share of the growing global tourism business, some countries’ tourist sites, such as those in Iran, are unsuccessful. Ref. [4] found that countries that could not identify a place brand under national culture, infrastructure, political perception, social media, place awareness and association, and tourism experience have not benefited from the market successfully [4]. Therefore, it is necessary to find reasons for this inability and to utilize countries’ tourism advantages. Some challenges facing the sustainable development of the tourism business in countries that have not been able to compete constructively for a decent share of the revenues and benefits of tourism include a lack of necessary infrastructure, technological advancement, security, and public access to new knowledge and technologies and a lack of modern hospitality training, public participation, investment in social and mass media, and place marketing, and regional conflicts.

Although many studies have been conducted on the advantages of the tourism business, less attention has been paid to hinderances to the development of this business in tourist areas prone to receiving tourists with significant historical, artistic, natural, and other attractions. This article addresses obstacles in tourism development by asking why some cities and places, despite their unique attractions in various tourist activities, have not been able to host tourists and contribute to their socio-economic development. The purpose of this research is to ask how attractive sites may be used to develop the tourism business and the economy as a result. We assume this goal will be achievable by understanding the weaknesses of popular tourist sites and planning to improve them.

This innovation research identifies the problems and obstacles with regard to tourism activities which degrade and destruct tourism resources and builds a mathematical model to show that a delay in the development of the tourism business leads to the increasing destruction of tourist sites and economic losses.

This study utilizes the ideas of scientists in the tourism business and relevant workshop experience to identify and introduce tourism resources, tourist attractions, and the capacity of possible tourist activities so as to identify obstacles and restrictions to the development of the tourism business. Using a questionnaire assists us in collecting necessary data and in building a general model of tourism resource assessment due to the hospitality of tourists and its ability to simulate tourism in particular tourism sites.

The research methods of this study include the introduction of an index system to measure the degree of tourism resource destruction with a case study and a mathematical model for assessing tourism sites’ situations in contributing to the sustainable marketing of tourist enterprises and activities to gain a greater share in the global tourism market. This method has usually been used to measure the efficiency of tourism development policies; as a sample, Rama and colleagues presented a methodology based on a series of indicators to determine interactions between host communities, traders, and tourists [5].

The results of this research, which crystallizes as a mathematical model, may help planners, service providers, and marketers in the tourism business to recognize the deficiencies and obstacles in their region and to attain a greater share of this global business by upgrading resources and planning.

2. Theoretical Studies

In this section, the theoretical foundations for the field studies of this research and proof regarding the theory that the improvement of the indicators affecting tourism business incomes is necessary will be provided in two parts by referring to the opinions of related scientists and professors.

2.1. Tourism Development Problems

The development of the tourism industry needs strategic planning and policies, as scholars have stated [6,7]. Additionally, tourism business development requires adopting the right marketing strategies, which should be a significant part of maximizing revenue, building a brand, and managing tourism enterprise reputations, just as the United Nations devised 17 sustainable development goals and 169 targets termed the 2030 Agenda [8]. However, the quality of services, such as hotels and other forms of accommodation, various types of transportation infrastructure, restaurants, entertainment venues, travel agents and tour operators, and particularly tourist rights, is the foundation of successful tourism business marketing everywhere. For this reason, as [9] noted, planning to improve tourist sites and avoiding their destruction in some tourist locations to provide proper services to tourists and as a result attain a larger share of tourism business income should be performed [9]. Reviewing the ideas of scholars of the tourism sciences and examining the experiences of experts has illustrated policy and planning problems, unqualified management, and a lack of standard infrastructure and equipment at tourist sites. Studies have also highlighted the degradation of the natural environment and landscape, inadequate hospitality, and no interaction between tourists and the host community. Research has also specified the economic impact of tourism on the development of tourism business marketing.

Policy and planning problems lead tourism resources to destruction and closure and prevent optimal tourism marketing. Political and religious systems that deny the individual and democratic freedoms of indigenous peoples and tourists are limitations to tourism development. These limitations have prevented some underdeveloped countries from achieving a higher level of tourism development. Ref. [10] studied the limits to the tourism development process in developing countries and suggested that the unwillingness of politicians and their appointees at a central level and a highly centralized public administration system appear to hinder the emergence and operationalization of a participatory tourism business development approach [10]. In particular, systems based on Sharia components cannot be successful in developing the tourism industry due to fear of interfering with the duties of religious authorities in tourist places and the activities of local tourists and due to concern about the implementation of Sharia law.

Legal freedom for tourists to travel freely and safely, visit tourist sites, and choose clothes, food, and beverages are initial tourist rights needed for developing the tourism business. Additionally, the development of tourism requires democratic and civil liberties in society and tourists’ right to free social communication with indigenous people. Effective policies and plans for tourism growth that require citizen engagement, greater access to information, and an open government are examples of policy levers available for rebuilding trust and re-connecting social partners and the public [11].

Unqualified management with a lack of professional skills and technological power to plan, market, and attract tourists to tourist sites is a significant weakness, particularly in tourism enterprises in theocratic administrations. Official tourism authorities and private corporations should handle marketing for introducing tourism sites, tourist tours, tourist activities, and handicraft exhibitions, with knowledge-based labor training and hospitality in various tourism business types. Results from research in tourism management conducted in Spain, the Czech Republic, Greece, and Iran discovered demands for higher qualifications and better and more flexible skills, training, and education [12,13].

The degradation of the natural environment, resources, and landscape should be stopped to preserve the beauty of a country’s tourist sites. Tourists not only enjoy historical monuments and cultural centers but also enjoy natural landscapes with abundant species of fauna and flora and require various tourist activities in the natural environment. The natural environment is essential to tourism, which increases the public appreciation of the environment and brings people into closer contact with nature and the environment [14].

Inadequate infrastructure is usually one of the main constraints limiting the development of the tourism business. For this reason, the type, size, and extent of infrastructure and its use must be carefully planned, designed, constructed, and monitored. Standard infrastructure and equipment in tourist sites, such as attractive urban spaces and buildings, transport infrastructure, energy supply and distribution, and electronic communication, are some requirements for tourism sites. Ref. [15] explored cruise ship tourism in the Canadian and the Russian Arctic regions and concluded that under current situations with a lack of necessary infrastructure, there are significant barriers to supporting the development of tourism in both of these regions [15]. The infrastructure of the tourism industry should be developed based on the tastes and needs of tourists and their numbers, as well as by taking into consideration the needs of residents. Simultaneously, the development of infrastructure should ensure that the infrastructure does not have negative ecological, environmental, social, or economic effects on the host communities. Projects for the physical development of tourist sites, such as transportation services, water supply, sewage system, waste management, and tourist activities, such as camping, hiking, diving, and swimming, that may harm the environment should be under urban building plans. An analysis of the planning and design techniques of tourism complexes in the process of municipality master planning by [1] showed the need for physical plans to build necessary infrastructure in tourist sites [1].

Inadequate hospitality in tourist sites, restaurants, and hotels is another problem in tourism development. Tourists usually expect access to hotels and restaurants with good service in exchange for travel expenses. Therefore, the charm of the hotel, guest houses, inns, restaurants, easy access to required facilities, and trained staff with a sense of hospitality are significant factors in tourism development. In an analysis of the tourism and hospitality industry in Russia, Ref. [16] considered the provision of adequate services as the most important way to develop the tourism business and recommended solutions to increase the number of tourists through qualified hospitality [16].

The status of social and cultural interactions between tourists and indigenous people at tourist sites during visits prevents the development of the tourism industry. Usually, tourists are interested in learning about the culture and civilization of the host community, such as what Ref. [17] addressed in Serbian tourism marketing [17]. Some tourists are even interested in creative tourism activities, as Shahraki stated in analyzing Shiraz’s tourist city in Iran [18] and as Butler demonstrated in praising alternative tourism [19].

Tourists require democratic and civil liberties and rights in the host community, such as the legal freedom to choose their clothes, food, and beverages, and social communication with indigenous peoples. Tourism should positively affect the regional/urban socio-economic development, increasing employment, the welfare of indigenous peoples, and the marketing of tourist sites. Chen investigated the impacts of tourism business booms on Sanya’s entrepreneurialism and urban growth and concluded:

“The rise of the tourism business, which features prominently in the intersection of the tropical climate and Sanya’s urbanization, is essential to the urban economy as it is deeply interwoven with the development of other sectors” [20]. A problem in the development of the tourism industry can be a lack of investment in the tourism sector. This problem has arisen due to uncertainty about returns and recession in the tourism business, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic in many countries with tourism potential. This problem may arise because of securing capital, bank credits, a lack of support from banks in granting the required loans, and high interest rates [21,22].

2.2. Planning for Developing the Tourism Industry

Sustainable tourism activities require planning, and for this reason, 2017 was declared the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly [23]. Additionally, Ref. [24] analyzed the environmental, economic, and social dimensions of sustainability in global tourism development, underlining that it is possible to integrate them with other aspects of tourism planning as reflected by indicators regarded in many tourism development projects [24].

Modern tourism should include studies and plans for numerous types of tourism activities, such as mass tourism; niche tourism, including eco-tourism, winter tourism, and pro-poor tourism, which seeks to help the poorest people in developing countries; creative tourism; medical tourism; and many other types [25]. Planning is essential for developing tourism on a small to medium and large scale, as well as for the short, medium, and long term. According to scholars, tourism pre- and post-COVID-19 should plan for climate change adaptation and mitigation [26]. Experiences show that wherever tourism has occurred without planning, harmful environmental and socio-economic problems have emerged and caused serious damage to the industry. Planning to increase the share of tourism business revenues is based on the strengths and weaknesses of touristic areas. Afterward, according to indicators following the strategic goals of regional development, it is then discovered how those weaknesses should be mitigated or how the advantages should be exploited optimally. A study by Ref. [27] implicated the strategic development of the management of the Liwa Botanic Gardens in Indonesia, which tourist attractions carried out in several stages of activities, such as sustainable planning, control, monitoring, and evaluation [27]. Ref. [28] explored the Lithuanian tourism business and found that the planning of e-marketing and new technologies should support this business [28]. The multifaceted improvement of management systems at tourist sites is the goal of tourism planning, which leads to the provision of standard services for the reception of tourists and economic growth.

The results of the studies in this part of the article guide field studies with which to improve the planning of the tourism industry and improve the quantitative and qualitative indicators influencing tourism sites, optimal marketing, and the provision of decent hospitality and services.

3. Applied Methods and Data

Gaining a larger share of the tourism economy, in addition to the presence of attractive sites, requires their continuous maintenance and improvement as well as optimal services provided to tourists. The effectiveness of management, operational projects, marketing, and hospitality in the tourism industry requires indicators and criteria, similar to Crotts and colleagues’ method [29]. The ideas of scholars [30,31] and experiences of workshops conducted by the authors at tourist sites introduce indicators with which to measure the efficiency of tourism policies and their privileges and weaknesses and to improve efficiency and attract tourists. A set of 38 indicators in 7 major groups was introduced based on the ideas of scholars, workshop experiences, and local cognition. These indicators should be upgraded to meet optimal tourism development and with sustainable tourism planning in the physical, skeletal, socioeconomic, environmental, and service provision features of the tourism sites.

A mathematical model applies the general formula for calculating the percentage of the degradation of the introduced indicators in tourist sites under a period. This model calculates the economic profit or loss caused by delay to improve the indicators and prevent the impact of inefficient tourism policies. The necessary data for these calculations were collected through a questionnaire and by receiving the opinions of a statistical community in Iran.

$${{\displaystyle \sum }}_{i=1}^n{I}_n=I_1+I_2+\dots , \mathit{In} (I=\mathrm{indicator})$$

(1)

$$I_n=\left(\frac{r_{I_n}}{100} \right)$$

(2)

In Equation (2), $r_{I_n}$ represents the percentage of degradation/destruction in a given time. The degradation of tourist sites causes economic damage, which leads to unsuccessful tourism business. Studies show that a delay in the upgrading of the presented indicators causes increasing damage to tourist sites. The following table shows a method for the provision of data to calculate the economic loss in tourist sites caused by delays in upgrading the indicators. Some scholars have also used this method to assess the losses due to delays in urban renovation programs, but we have developed the method according to the authors’ local cognition and experiences of the tourist sites [32].

Table 1. Shows initial blocks to formulate the total economic loss in a period.

Time	Time 1	Time 2	Time m−1	Time m
${\displaystyle {\displaystyle \sum }_{t=1}^m}TEL{\displaystyle {\displaystyle \sum }_{J=1}^n}{X}_n$	${TEL}_{time 1}$	${TEL}_{time 2}$	${TEL}_{time m-1}$	${TEL}_{time m}$
TEL/$	$ in time 1	$ in time 2	$ in time m−1	$ in time m

Source: provided by the authors of this paper.

provides the initial blocks for developing the model formulation by writing Equation (3).

Table 1 shows the total economic loss (TEL) due to the worn-out state and degradation of X_n tourist sites, inefficiency of tourism policies, and delay in the upgradation/improvement of indicators in Table 1. The economic loss (TEL) in the table is computable in the method per USD ($). This function is extractable from

Table 2. A list of over 10 tourist destinations with the number of visitors.

Name of the Site	Sign	Place of Site	Number of Visitors in 1978	Number of Visitors in 2014	Number of Visitors in 2019	Decrease/ Percentage	Tourism Type
Tomb of Khayyam	X1	Neyshabour, province of Khorasan razavi	6011	8243	6521	21	Philosophy, science, nature, culture, history
The tomb of Ibn Sina in Hamedan	X2	Hamadan, province of Hamadan	4021	6592	5894	11	Medicine, science, nature tourism, culture, history
Ferdowsi Tomb	X3	Mashhad, province of Khorasan razavi	12,121	13,848	11,922	12.5	Political, social, epic, literary, cultural, historical
Persepolis Antiquities	X4	Shiraz, province of Fars	6149	7729	5622	27	Architecture, history, society, culture, nature tourism
Daniel Shush	X5	Shush, province of Khuzestan	3782	5397	4852	10	Religious architecture, history, society, culture, nature tourism
Azargoshsab fire temple building	X6	Takab, province of western Azerbaijan	--	1940	1458	25	Nature tourism
Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary	X7	Tabriz, province of eastern Azerbaijan	1901	2926	2425	16	Nature tourism
The burnt city of Sistan	X8	Zabol, province of Sistan and Baluchistan	--	3821	3502	8	Ancient civilization, archeology, history, society, science
Portuguese fort	X9	Chabahar, province of Sistan and Baluchistan	1876	3187	2542	8	History, social architecture, nature tourism
Atashgah waterfall	X10	Lordegan, province of Chaharmahal Bakhtiari	3984	5904		9	Nature tourism, history, culture, religion

Source: [33].

.

$${{\displaystyle \sum }}_{t=1}^{m}EL {{\displaystyle \sum }}_{J=1}^n{X}_n=TE{L}_{t=m}{{\displaystyle \sum }}_{J=1}^n{X}_n-TE{L}_{t=1 }{{\displaystyle \sum }}_{J=1}^n{X}_n$$

(3)

Figure 1, the flowchart below, illustrates the step-by-step method of this research, which is simulated for 10 tourist sites in Iran.

The above flowchart that shows the step-by-step process of the analysis and the methods and data introduced in this section provides the basis for building a mathematical model and simulating it for 10 tourist sites.

4. Simulation of the Model

4.1. Tourism Situation in Iran

Ancient Iran, which has land and water borders with 17 countries, created numerous architectural and history-making masterpieces with its natural and cultural climatic diversity, which are attractive places for all kinds of tourist activities. Iranian economic scientists think that the income from the development of the tourism business could compete with the income from Iran’s oil and gas. However, because many of Iran’s tourist attractions, which are also world-famous, belong to the civilizations before the Islamic revolution in Iran and are in conflict with the values and principles of the current theocratic government, they have been left to be ruined and destroyed. For example, Persepolis in Shiraz, which is a masterpiece of ancient architecture and urban planning, and Omar Khayyam’s tomb in Neishabur represent atheist philosophy and precious science that are shown universal respect. Table 2 is a list of ten attractive tourist sites that face such hostility that it is gradually destroying them; consequently, the tourism business has been deprived of their potential income.

Figure 2 below shows the number of visitors of 10 tourist destinations in 1978, 2014, and 2019.

Comparing the number of visitors to ten tourist attractions reveals a significant decrease, which is actually due to a degradation in the quality and quantity of sites regarding the 38 indicators listed in

Table 3. Measured 38 indicators at the tourism site of Khayyam’s tomb.

Line	Sign	Indicator	Percentage
1	B1	Structural strength	23
2	B2	Architectural charm and beauty	31
3	B3	Heating and cooling facilities	16
4	B4	Health facilities	81
5	B5	Night lighting	25
6	B6	Secure access to transportation system	21
7	B7	Access to digital communication services	9
8	H1	Access to hotels and guest house	72
9	H2	Familiarity of staff with hospitality science	89
10	H3	The charm of inns and restaurants	90
11	H4	Catering services for restaurants	71
12	H5	Easy access for tourists to the required facilities	93
13	F1	Legal freedom for tourists to select clothes, food, and beverages	100
14	F2	Democratic and civil liberties in society	100
15	F3	Freedom for tourists to visit tourist sites	100
16	F4	Freedom of social communication and dialogue between tourists and indigenous people	100
17	F5	Safety and freedom of tourists to travel and return	89
18	D1	Advertisements introducing tourism sites	94
19	D2	Seasonal handicraft exhibitions	26
20	D3	Workforce training	84
21	D4	Licenses and facilities for tourism development	93
22	D5	Tourist tours to visit the site	91
23	E1	Existence of different species of fauna and flora	72
24	E2	Existence of mountains and special mountaineering facilities	76
25	E3	Existence of traditional houses in the area	88
26	E4	Existence of historical monuments	89
27	E5	An abundance of natural landscapes	76
28	S1	Indigenous and local traditions	79
29	S2	Awareness of indigenous peoples about cultural heritage	66
30	S3	Use of mass media	94
31	S4	Rising property prices	100
32	S5	Cooperation of indigenous peoples in the tourism business	76
33	R1	Increasing employment in the industrial sector	69
34	R2	Increasing employment in the transport sector	58
35	R3	Increasing employment in the hotel and restaurant sector	88
36	R4	Increasing employment in the handicraft production sector	86
37	R5	Increasing employment in the agricultural production sector	79
38	R6	Increasing employment in the livestock and poultry sector	89

Source: case studies conducted by the authors of this paper.

. Multi-faceted evaluations of the indicators at the 10 tourist sites are conducted according to the opinions of the respondents to the questionnaires as well as according to the observations and cognition of the authors. A statistical population, which represents all social, gender, and ethnic groups in the ten site communities, including experts and officials of cultural heritage, handicrafts, and tourism offices and tourists who have visited those places, was selected. The statistical population encompassed 568 people from three different groups: 264 people from the 10 communities selected using the Bartlett table with proportional random assignment, 40 experts from the relevant state offices, and 264 tourists. All the respondents had the appropriate information and knowledge to answer our questionnaire. The experts and scientists of tourism in Iran are worried about the lack of development in tourism and theorize about this problem. The official managers of offices and tourism businesses are also well aware of these problems, and most importantly, this was the concern of the tourists themselves, who experienced the hospitality and services offered by tourism in Iran.

The main variables of this research are the 10 tourist sites, and sub-variables come under the umbrella of each tourist site. The sub-variables are the factors that are considered in the process of making strategic policies, which this research called indicators and have been listed in Table 3. The indicators listed in Table 3 were extracted from the opinions of theorists on the tourism marketing industry in the world, field studies, and the authors’ knowledge of the obstacles to the development of tourism in Iran.

4.2. Degradation/Destruction Assessment of 10 Tourist Sites

The rates of destruction and degradation of 38 indicators in 2019 were measured based on the opinions of respondents compared to 1978 in the 10 tourist sites. Based on the field studies, the 38 indicators’ degradation rates at the Khayyam site are listed in Table 3.

In Table 3, the sign column shows the abbreviations B = building, H =hospitality, F = freedom, D = destination, E = environment, S = social, and R = reconstruction groups as indicators. In the table, the right column shows scores of the destruction/degradation of the indicators in 1978–2019 per percentage at the 38 sites according to the ideas of the interviewed people. Observations revealed that although all the indicators have deteriorated during this period to degrees varying from 9% to 100%, the indicators related to the legal freedom of tourists and democratic and civil liberties in society, F₁–F₅, have deteriorated by 100%. The degradation rates of the 38 indicators indicate that the Khayyam site is not ready to host tourists, especially regarding the basic rights of tourists and the lack of necessary infrastructure. The structure of the mathematical model that measures the total economic losses (TEL) due to the delay in upgrading the 38 indicators at the 10 tourism sites started with the calculation of the destruction rate of an index in Equations (1) and (2) and continued with the calculation of the TEL in Function (3). Here, we simulate the model for indicators of group B in the Khayyam site through Equations (3) and (4). Then, we develop the simulation in the same way for groups H, F, D, E, S, and R, to attain the relationship of (6) to measure the TEL of the Khayyam site. Finally, Equations (9) and (10) calculate the TEL of the 10 mentioned tourist sites. To calculate the degradation rate of only B₁–B₇ indicators at the Khayyam site, we develop Equation (1) as follows:

$${{\displaystyle \sum }}_{i=1}^7{B}_n=B_1+B_2+B_3+B_4+B_5+B_6+B_7$$

(4)

In (4), $B_1=\left(\frac{r_{B_1}}{100} \right), B_2=\left(\frac{r_{B_2}}{100} \right), B_3=\left(\frac{r_B}{100} \right), B_4=\left(\frac{r_{B_4}}{100} \right), B_5=\left(\frac{r_{B_5}}{100} \right), B_6=\left(\frac{r_{B_6}}{100} \right),and B_7=\left(\frac{r_{B_7}}{100} \right)$.

In Equation (4), B₁–B₇ show the degradation percentage of indicators B₁–B₇ in 1978–2019, but the following equation shows the sum of degradation of the seven indicators:

$$\mathrm{T} B_n={{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^7{B}_n=2.06$$

(5)

In the same way, we calculate the total improvement scores for the rest of the indicators at the Khayyam tourism site.

$$\begin{gathered} \mathrm{T} H_n={{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^5{H}_n=4.15 \\ \mathrm{T} F_n={{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^5{F}_n=4.89 \\ \mathrm{T} D_n={{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^5{D}_n=3.88 \\ \mathrm{T} E_n={{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^5{E}_n=4.01 \\ \mathrm{T} S_n={{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^5{S}_n=4.15 \\ \mathrm{T} R_n={{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^6{R}_n=+4.69 \end{gathered}$$

$${{\displaystyle \sum }}_{v=1}^{38}TDKhayya{m}_v=\left({{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^7{B}_n\right)+\left({{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^5{H}_n\right)+\left({{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^5{F}_n\right)+\left({{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^5{D}_n\right)+\left({{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^5{E}_n\right)+\left({{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^5{S}_n\right)+\left({{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^6{R}_n\right)=23.14$$

(6)

In (6), TDKhayyam represents the total degradation of tourism at the Khayyam tourist site from 1978–2019.

In

Table 4. The average scores of 38 indicators at the 10 tourism sites per percentage.

Line	Sign	Indicator	Percentage
1	B1	Structural strength	70
2	B2	Architectural charm and beauty	56
3	B3	Heating and cooling facilities	32
4	B4	Health facilities	98
5	B5	Night lighting	56
6	B6	Secure access to transportation system	45
7	B7	Access to digital communication services	11
8	H1	Access to hotels and guest house	79
9	H2	Familiarity of staff with hospitality science	94
10	H3	The charm of inns and restaurants	95
11	H4	Catering services for restaurants	76
12	H5	Easy access for tourists to the required facilities	94
13	F1	Legal freedom for tourists to select clothes, food, and beverages	100
14	F2	Democratic and civil liberties in society	100
15	F3	Freedom for tourists to visit tourist sites	100
16	F4	Freedom of social communication and dialogue between tourists and indigenous people	100
17	F5	Safety and freedom of tourists to travel and return	100
18	D1	Advertisements introducing tourism sites	100
19	D2	Seasonal handicraft exhibitions	42
20	D3	Workforce training	92
21	D4	Licenses and facilities for tourism development	100
22	D5	Tourist tours to visit the site	86
23	E1	Existence of different species of fauna and flora	85
24	E2	Existence of mountains and special mountaineering facilities	70
25	E3	Existence of traditional houses in the area	91
26	E4	Existence of historical monuments	95
27	E5	An abundance of natural landscapes	89
28	S1	Indigenous and local traditions	85
29	S2	Awareness of indigenous peoples about cultural heritage	77
30	S3	Use of mass media	91
31	S4	Rising property prices	93
32	S5	Cooperation of indigenous peoples in the tourism business	85
33	R1	Increasing employment in the industrial sector	73
34	R2	Increasing employment in the transport sector	66
35	R3	Increasing employment in the hotel and restaurant sector	95
36	R4	Increasing employment in the handicraft production sector	96
37	R5	Increasing employment in the agricultural production sector	91
38	R6	Increasing employment in the livestock and poultry sector	94

Source: case studies conducted by the authors of this paper.

, with the ideas of the responders, we compute the average rate of destruction of 38 indicators at ten tourism sites X₁–X₁₀, which are the most important indicators of Iran’s tourism business, as we did for the Khayyam site.

In Table 4, the right column shows the scores of destruction/degradation of the indicators per percentage at the 38 sites according to the ideas of the interviewed people. The average percentage of the 38 indicators’ degradation at the 10 tourist sites is also exhibited in Figure 3.

This curve shows that the destruction of democratic rights tourist indicators, F₁–F₅, has reached 100%, which has made international tourists afraid of traveling to Iran. The indicators related to introducing the tourist sites (D₁) and to granting licenses for establishing tourism enterprises (D₄) have also been destroyed by 100%. In addition, the job opportunity index of R₄ has deteriorated by 96%. The efficiency of other indicators has also decreased to varying degrees. At this time, we develop Equation (1) for indicators R₁–R₆.

$${{\displaystyle \sum }}_{i=1}^6{R}_n=R_1+R_2+R_3+R_4+R_5+R_6$$

(7)

In (7), $R_1=\left(\frac{r_{I_1}}{100} \right), R_2=\left(\frac{r_{I_2}}{100} \right), R_3=\left(\frac{r_{I3}}{100} \right),R_4=\left(\frac{r_{I_4}}{100} \right), R_5=\left(\frac{r_{I_5}}{100} \right), \mathrm{and} R_6=\left(\frac{r_{I_6}}{100} \right)$.

$$\mathrm{T} R_n={{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^6{R}_n=5.15\%$$

(8)

In the same way, we write:

$$\begin{gathered} \mathrm{T} B_n={{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^7{B}_n=3.68\% \\ \mathrm{T} H_n={{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^5{H}_n=4.38\% \\ \mathrm{T} F_n={{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^5{F}_n=5.00 \\ \mathrm{T} D_n={{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^5{D}_n=4.2 \\ \mathrm{T} E_n={{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^5{E}_n=4.30 \\ \mathrm{T} S_n={{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^5{S}_n=4.31 \end{gathered}$$

$${{\displaystyle \sum }}_{v=1}^{38}TAD10Site{s}_v=\left({{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^7{B}_n\right)+\left({{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^5{H}_n\right)+\left({{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^5{F}_n\right)+\left({{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^5{D}_n\right)+\left({{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^5{E}_n\right)+\left({{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^5{S}_n\right)+\left({{\displaystyle \sum }}_{n=1}^6{R}_n\right)=31.02$$

(9)

In (9), $TAD10Site{s}_v$ represents the total degradation of the tourism business at the 10 tourism sites, X₁–X₁₀, between 1978 and 2019. In 1977, Iran hosted more than 700,000 international visitors, primarily from the USA, UK, West Germany, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, compared with the 800 visitors it hosted in 1995, which has decreased to almost 1/1000 [13], and with no tourists from advanced countries in 2021. This suggests a degradation worse than 31.02%, which we calculated.

$${{\displaystyle \sum }}_{t=year 1978}^{m=year of 2019}TEL {{\displaystyle \sum }}_{J=1}^{10}{X}_n=E{L}_{t=year 2019}{{\displaystyle \sum }}_{J=1}^{10}{X}_n-E{L}_{t=year 1978 }{{\displaystyle \sum }}_{J=1}^{10}{X}_n=x\$$$

(10)

Putting the exact amount of economic revenue in 1978 and in 2019 into Equation (10) gives the TEL (total economic loss) of the 10 tourist sites per USD.

The next part of this paper discusses the findings of this applied research.

5. Findings and Discussion

The increasing competition among countries exists to attract tourists and earn more money through the comprehensive improvement and planning of various tourism activities, advertising, marketing, and providing better hospitality services. For this reason, scholars have proposed a framework to improve the management of tourist destinations through an innovative model that interconnects strategic management and techniques to increase tourism efficiency and productivity in operational processes and organizational efficiency and effectiveness [34]. Questions have been raised concerning how we might increase the efficiency and productivity of the tourism business. Scholars and workshop experiences recommend that the weaknesses and strengths of attractive tourist sites in each country should be well known, for example, with the help of strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat techniques (SWOT) [35,36]. With the help of a set of measurement indicators, such knowledge provides the possibility of strengthening weaknesses, removing threats, using opportunities, and exploiting strengths.

The flowchart in Figure 1 illustrates the process of rebuilding the 10 degraded tourist sites by upgrading the 38 indicators. The process includes collecting data from the sample community by developing a questionnaire and building a mathematical model to calculate the degradation rates of the tourist sites from 1978 to 2019. Field studies revealed that the number of tourists visiting the 10 tourist sites since 2014 has declined by an average of 8% to 25%, which is due to the implementation of Sharia law, the violation of democracy, and a lack of necessary infrastructure.

The indicator set $\left(B_1–B_7, H_1–H_5, F_1–F_5, D_1–D_5, E_1–E_5, S_1–S_5, R_1–R_6\right)$ listed in Table 3 is based on findings from related scholars and workshop experiences. Additionally, the indicators were introduced according to the special characteristics of the 10 tourism sites in Table 2; the results of the prioritization of factors affecting the tourism business; and the ideas of the respondents.

In group $B_i$, the destruction rate for health facilities indicators, $B_4$, has reached 98%, and for structural strength, $B_1$, the destruction rate has reached 70%, which are alarming signs. Group $H_i$ revealed that the indicators of easy access to required facilities ($H_5$), the charm of inns and restaurants ($H_3$), and the facility of staff with hospitality sciences ($H_2$) have degraded by 94–95%. The worst findings are in group $F_i$, where the indicators $F_1–F_5$ related to human rights and civil liberties experienced 100% degradation, which is a frightening factor in the minds of tourists. The indicator of licenses for tourism development, $D_4$, has degraded by 100%, which is a direct result of official structural corruption in Iran’s administration [37,38]. Unfortunately, the environmental group indicator, E, which influences tourists’ willingness to choose tourist destinations, has degraded by 70–95%. The indicators in group S concerning the marketing of tourist sites and advertising through official mass media have also degraded by 77–93%. Finally, the heavy degradation and destruction found in all the indicator groups has caused a heavy loss in the national economy, resulting in more unemployment and poverty [39]. The case studies concerning the 10 tourist sites found that the indicators of infrastructure, such as accommodation services, including hotels, guest houses, and inns, and transportation infrastructures, including equipped passenger terminals, airports, and ports, are weak. Moreover, the use of trained people to provide tourist services, the quality of healthcare services, and urban infrastructure are inadequate for developing the tourism business. Most importantly, field studies showed that indicators related to the democratic rights of tourists and their cultural exchanges with native people have degraded alarmingly.

The mathematical model that was developed in Equations (1)–(3) is a method for calculating the average percentage of the destruction in a period. However, Equations (4)–(9) simulate the calculation of the average percentage of destruction of the 38 indicators at the 10 Iranian tourism sites at the specified time. Table 1 and Equation (10) of this model calculate the total economic losses due to the delay in the reconstruction/upgrading of the indicators at the 10 tourist sites in the period of 1978–2019 in USD.

It became clear that by relying on the potential gain from all kinds of tourism activities, Iran can attain a suitable share of the income of the world tourism business once all 38 indicators are reconstructed and upgraded at all the tourism sites. Only in this way will the country’s tourism business build the necessary infrastructure and consequently be able to provide standard hospitality services to tourists, as Pedersen agrees [40,41].

The findings of this article are that tourism has evolved as a global industry influenced by various cultures and lifestyles, and that, more importantly, the marketing and development of the tourism industry is related to customary and civil factors [42,43,44]. Consequently, limiting tourism policies to Sharia rules, as has occurred in Iran, causes geographical marketing decreases and economic losses. Findings about the contradiction of Sharia rules with the knowledge-based development of the tourism business were also confirmed by Saudi Arabia when it announced reforms in favor of tourism development and distancing from Sharia laws in the industry [45]. The optimal development and marketing of Iran’s tourism industry requires the improvement of indicators affecting tourists’ rights and expected freedoms through appropriate reforms.

6. Conclusions

This applied study clarified the relationship between tourism business development and economic growth, particularly regarding job opportunity increases in connected economic sectors. For this reason, it addressed the question of how obstacles to the development of the tourism industry might be removed to attain a greater share of the industry’s income.

Utilizing the ideas of scientists and workshop experiences, our study introduced a set of 38 indicators and calculated the rate of degradation/destruction of the indicators at 10 of Iran’s tourist sites.

This article developed a mathematical model to measure the destruction/degradation rate of the introduced indicators and a method for calculating the losses caused by said destruction from 1978 to 2019 using a questionnaire to collect necessary data from the sample statistical community. It became clear that the indicators have fallen catastrophically, especially regarding the democratic rights of tourists and host citizens due to the implementation of Sharia laws. The indicators of the necessary infrastructure for providing standard services to tourists have also been degraded due to institutionalized corruption in the official government administration.

We found that to use the potential of tourism resources, it is necessary to stop the process of destruction of tourist sites and to rebuild them with new planning and international collaboration policies based on new science and technology and competent management. It is only in this way that Iran’s tourism business will develop quantitatively and qualitatively and thus profit from the economic benefits of global business through better marketing, increasing employment and improving the quality of life at the host tourist sites.

The outcome of this research, which was crystallized in the form of a mathematical model for measuring strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities of and threats to the tourism business and its development, can be simulated and used in any other place similar to those applied in this research.

Based on the findings of this research, our recommendation for Iran’s tourism industry is to return to sustainable development policies based on knowledge rather than on Sharia rules and those that are oriented toward economic and environmental standards to improve the marketing and hospitality services of the tourism business.

In the future, research should be planned and conducted concerning the hinderances to tourism development with respect to the local situation and projects required to rebuild and upgrade indicators, the details of which are listed in Table 3 of this article.