Identification and Investigation of the Effective Factors on Development of the Tourism Industry in Bandar-e-Anzali by Delphi Method

Today, the tourism industry, as one of the global leading industries and as a strong social, cultural and economic force, has the ability to form and transform human societies, and therefore the development of the tourism industry is particularly important. The purpose of this study was to identify and investigate the effective factors on the development of Bandar-e-Anzali Tourism Industry. The research method is a survey that the statistical population in the first part (Delphi analysis) consists of experts and in the second part (inferential statistics), all employees and managers in the private and governmental decision-making centers about the tourism industry in Bandar-e-Anzali (Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism, municipalities, hotels and hospitality establishments). The sample size in the first part is 20, and in the second part is equal to 172 people. Due to the restriction of the census method, a quantitative research questionnaires were distributed and gathered randomly among the subjects. To analyze the findings, exploratory factor analysis, one-sample t-test and Friedman's rank test were used. The findings showed that five components (increasing the level of management decision making, strengthening cultural and educational issues, developing infrastructure facilities, increasing marketing and advertising, and increasing the participation of the private sector) contributed to develop Bandar-e-Anzali Tourism Industry.