Pathology of Tourist Attraction Problems in St. Mary Church of Urmia

Fariba AZIZZADEH

doi:10.14505//jemt.v10.8(40).25

Fariba AZIZZADEH Department of Business Management Soran University, Irak

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14505//jemt.v10.8(40).25

Abstract

St. Mary Church of Urmia is ranked second in the world in terms of age. It has not been successful in attracting international tourists. This study is attempted to investigate the problems of tourist attraction for this church.

The present study uses an interpretive paradigm and a qualitative research method in which the participants were 5 individuals from the target community of Christians working there. The tool used in this study was semi-structured interview (open-ended questions). Interaction between the researcher and the respondent as well as feedback from the participants has been used to ensure reliability. The information was analyzed using the thematic analysis method as well as during the three-step grounded coding (open, axial, and selective).

According to the views of the participant, the 8 issues of the Ministry of Guidance on the issue of Christianity propagation, physical change of the church and the construction of a gable roof on it, the failure of Christians to propagate this church, a long-term bureaucracy of the Ministry of Guidance, the distance from Urmia to other tourist cities, issues related to restrictions on freedom and coverage in Iran, political issues and the effects of sanctions and inappropriate weather have been addressed.

References

[1] Abedi Jafari, H., Taslimi, M., Faghihi, A., and Sheikhzadeh, M. 2011. Content analysis and content analysis: A simple and efficient way to explain patterns in qualitative data. Journal of Strategic Management Thought, 2(10): 151-198. Available at: http://smt.journals.isu.ac.ir/article_163.html (in Persian)
[2] Acharjya, D. P., and Acharjya, B. 2019. An integrated partial least square and rough set approach for studying pilgrimage attitude towards cultural heritage of Odisha. J Ambient Intell Human Comput. DOI:http://doi.org/10.1007/s12652-020-01687-8
[3] Akbari, S. 2012. Snowball sampling. Available at: www.sharifdata.com , P. 8. (in Persian)
[4] Attride-Stirling, J. 2001. Thematic Networks: An Analytic Tool for Qualitative Research. Qualitative Research, 1(3): 385-405. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/146879410100100307
[5] Braun, V. and Clarke, V. 2006. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2): 77-101. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
[6] De lima, M. M., Mainardes, E. W., and Rodrigues, R. G. 2019. Tourists’ expectations and perception of service providers: a Brazilian perspective. Serv Bus 4, 131-166. DOI:http://doi.org/10.1007/s11628-019-00406-4
[7] Eslami, S. 2014. The Role of Sport Tourism Design on Employment Creation and Provision of a Temporary Model. Doctoral dissertation on sports management. PhD diss., Payam-Noor University. (in Persian)
[8] Esmailpour, H., and Kashanitabar, S. 2011. Investigating the underdeveloped factors of the tourism industry. Journal of Investigating the Underdeveloped Factors of Industry and Tourism, 6(15): 177-190. Available at:http://mediastudies.srbiau.ac.ir/article_4397.html (in Persian)
[9] Faghihi, A., and Alizadeh, M. 2005. Validity in Qualitative Research. Journal of Management culture, 3(9): 5-19. Available at https://jomc.ut.ac.ir/article_14228.html (in Persian)
[10] Farsani, N. T., Esfahani, M. A. G., and Shokrizadeh, M. 2019. Understanding tourists’ satisfaction and motivation regarding mining geotours (case study: Isfahan, Iran). Geoheritage 11, 681-688. DOI:http://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-08-0318-8
[11] Hassani, R. 2017. Granny Mary Church, the second oldest church in the world, Available at:https://www.kojaro.com/2017/11/25/129137 (in Persian)
[12] Jafari Samimi, A., and Khobreh, S. 2013. The effect of tourism on human development. Journal of Tourism Planning and Development, 2(7): 11-24. Available at: http://tourismpd.journals.umz.ac.ir/article_587.html (in Persian)
[13] Jalali, R. 2012. Sampling in qualitative research. Journal of Qualitative Research in Health Sciences, pp. 310-315. Available at: http://jqr.kmu.ac.ir/article-1-118-fa.html (in Persian)
[14] Khaki, G. 2012. Research in Management (Surveying Bar), Fujian Publications, Second Edition, Tehran, pp. 87-97. (in Persian)
[15] Khoshraftar, R., and Torabi Farasani, N. 2019. Geomythology: an approach for attracting Geotourists (case study: Takht-e Soleyman-Takab World heritage sites). Geoheritage, 11: 1879-1888. DOI:http://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-019-00399-6
[16] King, N., and Horrocks, C. 2010. Interviews in qualitative research, London: Sage
[17] Kozak, M. 2005). Comparative analysis of tourist motivations by nationally and destination. Tourism Management, 23(1): 222-232. DOI:http://doi.org/10.1016/S0261-5177(01)00090-5
[18] Kuzeh Chian, H., Ehsani, M. and Adabi Firouzjah, J. 2011. An investigation of the effective factors on sport tourism development in IRAN with the emphasis on natural sport attractions. World Journal of Sport Sciences. 5(4): 216-220. Available at: https://jsm.ut.ac.ir/article_22134.html (in Persian)
[19] Mehr Alizadeh, Y., Safayi Moghaddam, M., Salehi Omran, E., and Elm, M. 2013. Theoretical and Practical Principles of Research (Quantitative, Qualitative and Mixed) in the Humanities. Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz Publications, Ahwaz, first edition, pp. 276. (in Persian)
[20] Mirzaei, R. 2009. The Impact of Rural Tourism Development on Employment in Oramanat Region of Kermanshah. Journal of Village and Development, 12(4): 49-76. Available at: http://rvt.agri-peri.ac.ir/article_59218.html (in Persian)
[21] Mohseni, R. 2009. Sustainable Tourism in Iran: Functions, Challenges and Strategies. Journal of Geographical Space, 9(28): 149-171. Available at: http://ensani.ir/fa/article/125060/ (in Persian)
[22] Mousaiee, M. 2011. Fundamentals of Tourism Economics. First edition, Tehran, Mahkameh Publication, pp. 38-67. (in Persian)
[23] Mousaiee, M., Hashemi, S., and Ebrahimi, M. 2012. Sociological Study of Sustainable Tourism Development in Iran; Barriers, Challenges and Solutions. Journal of Social Sciences, 6(16): 25-50. Available at: https://www.noormags.ir/view/fa/articlepage/1083819/ (in Persian)
[24] Mousavi, A., and Moradi, S. 2011. Methods of gathering information (emphasizing interviewing principles and techniques), pp. 2-27. (in Persian)
[25] Namazi, M. 2003. The Role of Qualitative Research in Humanities, Journal of Geography and Development, pp. 63-78. Available at: https://www.noormags.ir/view/fa/articlepage/361356/ (in Persian)
[26] Noubakht, M., and Pirouz, E. 2008. Development of tourism in Iran, obstacles and solutions. Islamic Azad University Press, Tehran, pp. 7-9. (in Persian)
[27] Ranjbar, H., et al. 2012. Sampling in Qualitative Research: A Guide to Getting Started. Journal of Army University of Medical Sciences of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 10(3): 238-250. Available at: https://www.sid.ir/Fa/Journal/ViewPaper.aspx?ID=199173 (in Persian)
[28] Singh, R. P. B., and Kumar, S. 2019. Holy-Heritage city development and planning in India: A study of Ayodhya. In: Thakur R., Dutt A., Takhur S., Pomeroy G. (eds). Urban and Regional Planning and Development. Springer, Calm, 515-535. DOI:http://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-31776-8
[29] Susman, G. and Evered, R. 1978. An Assessment of the Scientific Merits of Action Research. Administrative Science Quarterly, 23 (4): 582-603. Available at: http://jstor.org.stable/2392581
[30] Taghdisi, A., Goudarzi, S., and Beig Mohammadi, H. 2015. Investigating and Analyzing the Challenges of Rural Tourism Development from the Villagers' Viewpoints of Target Villages in West Azerbaijan Province. Journal of Spatial Planning (Geography), 1(16): 83-100. Available at: http://sppl.ui.ac.ir/article_16027.html (in Persian)
[31] Tajdini, K., Matoufi, A., and Dankoub, M. 2014. Prioritizing Tourism Attraction Barriers Using Network Analysis (ANP) Case: Golestan Province. Journal of Tourism Space, 4(13): 19-39. Available at: http://www.jdem.ir/article_494.html (in Persian)
[32] Teddlie, C. and Tashakkori, A. 2009. Foundations of mixed methods research: integrating quantitative and qualitative techniques in the social and behavioral sciences. London: SAGE; 2009. DOI:http://doi.org/10.1016/j.aenj.2009.07.004
[33] Vahedi Fard, S. 2009. Participatory View, Social Science Month Book, No. 22, pp. 82-89. Available at: https://www.noormags.ir/view/fa/articlepage/485968/ (in Persian)
[34] Zakizadeh Ghariye Ali, H., and Nobakht Ramezani, Z. 2017. Investigating Barriers to Sport Tourism Development in Qazvin Province. First National Conference on Sport and Health Sciences Achievements. Abadan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, pp. 1-19. Available at: https://www.sid.ir/fa/seminar// (in Persian)
[35] Zhang, J. 2019. New functionalism: rejuvenating historical and cultural heritage through urban revival. International Journal of Anthropology and Ethnology, 3(8). DOI:http://doi.org/10.1186/s41257-019-0023-9
[36] Ziviyar, P., Teymori, S., and Nourozi, M. 2013. Feasibility of Tourism Industry in Khorramabad based on SWOT Analytical Model. Geographical Land Journal, 10(39): 73-88. Available at: http://sarzamin.srbiau.ac.ir/article_6147.html (in Persian)