Journal of Sustainable Urban & Regional Development Studies (JSURDS)
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An analysis of the challenges of segmenting the urban tourism market in Tabriz metropolis: With emphasis on geographical and demographic components

Document Type : Article extracted from thesis

Authors

Zahra Shoughipour 1
Rahim Heydari Chiyaneh 2
Shahrivar Roustaei 3

1 PhD Student, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Planning and Environmental Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Planning and Environmental Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran

3 Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Planning and Environmental Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran

Abstract
Background and Objective: Tourism has a special place in the global economy and has allocated a large part of planning and investments in developed and developing countries. Today, the tourism industry has been raised as an important goal in the development of cities, and it is likely that each city will face specific challenges on the way to achieving its goals. The purpose of this study is to analyze the challenges of segmenting the urban tourism market in Tabriz metropolis: with an emphasis on geographical and demographic components.
Methodology: The research method in this study is quantitative in terms of paradigm, applied in terms of purpose, and descriptive-analytical in nature. The data collection method was library and survey; and SPSS software and a single-sample T-test were used to analyze them. The statistical population of the study included all Iranian and foreign tourists entering Tabriz in the first six months of 1402, and the research questionnaire was distributed among the available samples (343 people) by attending accommodation centers, air, road, rail and intracity passenger terminals, as well as major tourist attractions.
Results and findings: According to the results, among the two components of market segmentation under study, with the exception of demographic components with an average of 2.41; geographical components with an average of 3.57 have the most significant and positive impact on travel decision factors and satisfaction of incoming tourists, and consequently on the development of urban tourism in this metropolis. Also, the seasonality of the tourism market and the polarization of the effects of attractions with mainly historical, cultural, and medical-therapeutic importance, as well as the regionality of the domestic market and its sphere of influence limited to the northwest of the country due to its distance from the center of Iran, along with the foreign market specific to neighboring countries and mostly in transit and passing through, and the lack of formation of a proper destination personality for this metropolis, as a result of the aforementioned issues, can be considered the main challenges to the development of the tourism market in this metropolis.

Keywords

Urban tourism
market segmentation
development
Tabriz metropolis
Subjects
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Journal of Sustainable Urban & Regional Development Studies (JSURDS)
Volume 7, Issue 3 - Serial Number 25
Autumn 2026
Pages 297-313

  • Receive Date 19 March 2026
  • Revise Date 15 May 2026
  • Accept Date 07 June 2026
  • First Publish Date 12 June 2026
  • Publish Date 22 November 2026

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