Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran
2 Researcher, Strategic Studies and Development Research Group, Kurdistan Studies Institute, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran
Abstract
The present study aims to develop a sustainable marketing model for rural tourism in Kurdistan Province. Adopting a qualitative research design and a thematic analysis approach, this study is classified as applied research in terms of purpose. The study population consisted of all residents and stakeholders involved in rural tourism in Kurdistan Province. Given the qualitative nature of the research, data collection continued until theoretical saturation was reached, which occurred after interviews with 15 purposefully selected participants. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, whereby initial and secondary themes were identified and labeled. The analysis process was further supported using NVivo software. The findings revealed that within the domain of sustainable tourism, 36 basic themes emerged, which were classified into three organizing themes: environmental, economic–political, and socio-cultural. In the sustainable marketing domain, 57 basic themes were identified and categorized into three organizing themes: customer-related factors, community relations, and environmental factors. Additionally, within the domain of sustainable tourism marketing, 43 basic themes were extracted and grouped into four organizing themes: economic and pricing factors, promotion, place and accommodation facilities, and human factors.
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