Application of Cohen's Tourist Typology (Case Study:Mashhad Pilgrims)

There are a variety of categorizations for tourists in different fields of tourism studies on the basis of different criteria. Cohen''s sociological typology categorizes tourists on institutionalization of tourist services. The current article which is based on Cohen''s theory examines thetypology oftourists in Mashhad. The degree of institutionalization is defined as how tourists meet their basic needs (accommodation، food and transportation) and how much they benefit from hospitality services. The data provided in a previously conducted research «A Survey of Iranian Pilgrims Accommodation and Preferences in Mashhad» were meta-analyzed. The research sample included 1600 Iranian pilgrims visiting Mashhad in 1389 and 1390 (2011). Discussion and Based on Cohen''s model، the tourists were classified into three categories of institutional، semi institutional and non-institutional categories. Findings indicate that around two-third of tourist (68. 3%) had experienced institutional travel to Mashhad while a bit more than 20% and 10% had semi-institutional and non-institutional visits respectively. It was also found that the younger city dwellers and people with higher income and education utilize institutional tourist services more than the others. These findings can have implications for future planning oftourism development in private and public sectors.