Journey to the country of contrasts: a holistic exploration of the projected and perceived images of Iran as a tourism destination.

Abstract

The doctoral dissertation, titled ‘Journey to the Land of Contrasts: A Holistic Exploration of the Projected and Perceived Destination Images of Iran’ is related to the Inter-University Doctoral Programme in Tourism at the University of Malaga, and meets the requirements to obtain the mention "International Doctorate." This thesis is structured as a compendium of publications and is composed of eight chapters, which include three papers that have been published in prestigious journals. These papers are interconnected by a common theme centered around the concept of destination image. To conduct this investigation, an extensive review of existing literature in the field was carried out. The research focuses on three key concepts: i) the projected destination image of Iran, analyzed through images on official Iran tourism social media pages on Instagram; ii) the perceived images held by actual and potential tourists toward a sanctioned destination; and iii) the influence of animosity on the destination image and subsequent behavioural intentions of tourists towards the targeted country. The findings reveal that, in general, while the majority of tourists traveling to Iran religious tourists, the primary attribute shaping Iran's projected image on social media relies on its rich history and landscape (Publication 1). Moreover, the study reveals that sanctions and the absence of positive bilateral relations adversely affect non-visitors' perceptions of the target country across cognitive, emotional, and conative components.