The Perceived Risk of Iran as a Tourism Destination (A Mixed Method Approach)

Abstract

Risk is an inherent factor in the traveler's choice of destination. Tourism destinations differ in many aspects including their location, economic condition, cultural and political status and crime. Given such differences, the analysis of destination risk and its dimensions is of substantial interest. The current study explores the risk factors perceived about Iran as a tourism destination using the mixed methods of qualitative content analysis and exploratory/confirmatory factor analysis. The results of qualitative and quantitative studies indicated that the potential tourists perceive eight types of risk factors about Iran, including the risk of human rights violation, satisfaction, inappropriate dress, inaccessibility to cash, crime, communication, securing visa and social risk.