Abstract The pilgrimage of the holy shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad is considered to be one of the pillars of Shiite religion in Islam.Therefore,the regional development of the city of Mashhad and the province of Khorasan should receive special attention by planners and investors. The current study formulates and prioritizes using strategic analysistools, reviewing the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities in this area;it will also investigate strategies that can promote investment. The results show that the best way for moving out of the current crises and challenges in the field of religious tourism is through investment in the field.The most effective strategy that can be implementedis creating the basis upon which investors can be encouraged to investin the province.
Introduction Since investment process in the field of tourism in general and religious tourism in particularis a multi-faceted concept, itcan be affected through economic environment and in order to achieve an acceptable point, the internal and external factors in this fieldshould be properly investigated.
Materials and Methods Strategic planning is a process planning. In dealing with such aphenomenon, it should be planned in such a way that it can have the ability to adapt to the new conditions. In order to take advantage of this planning process the first step used was bringing in the SWOT tool for the sake of identification, classification and analysis of strategic factors for internal and external environment.
Discussion and Results The results show that the best way for moving out of the current crises and challenges in the field of religious tourism investment is the elimination of the current weaknesses, limitations and potential threats.
Conclusions Most experts of the field are of the opinion that the most effective strategies that can be used to enhance infrastructure can be done through attracting foreign and domestic investments by organizations and relevant institutions.
Hasannejad, M. , Barati, J. , Rafiee, H. , & Mazhari, M. (2014). Identification ofStrategies that Can Be Used for the Developmentof Religious Tourism in Iran
Case Study:Shrine of Imam Reza. Journal of Tourism Planning and Development, 3(9), 88-109.
MLA
Maryam Hasannejad; Javad Barati; Hadi Rafiee; Mohammad Mazhari. "Identification ofStrategies that Can Be Used for the Developmentof Religious Tourism in Iran
Case Study:Shrine of Imam Reza", Journal of Tourism Planning and Development, 3, 9, 2014, 88-109.
HARVARD
Hasannejad, M., Barati, J., Rafiee, H., Mazhari, M. (2014). 'Identification ofStrategies that Can Be Used for the Developmentof Religious Tourism in Iran
Case Study:Shrine of Imam Reza', Journal of Tourism Planning and Development, 3(9), pp. 88-109.
CHICAGO
M. Hasannejad , J. Barati , H. Rafiee and M. Mazhari, "Identification ofStrategies that Can Be Used for the Developmentof Religious Tourism in Iran
Case Study:Shrine of Imam Reza," Journal of Tourism Planning and Development, 3 9 (2014): 88-109,
VANCOUVER
Hasannejad, M., Barati, J., Rafiee, H., Mazhari, M. Identification ofStrategies that Can Be Used for the Developmentof Religious Tourism in Iran
Case Study:Shrine of Imam Reza. Journal of Tourism Planning and Development, 2014; 3(9): 88-109.
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