Evaluation of Tabriz city As a Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art based on benchmarking model

Production and marketing of handicrafts can be considered as an effective factor in the development of a country's economy because of the increasing tendency of countries to use clean industries and avoid single product economy such as oil. Introduce and advertising handicrafts for marketing inside and outside the country is one of the main ways to develop handicrafts. Joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, as the best branding tool and the desire to work effectively with network member cities, is due to create a stronger identity. Tabriz city is one of the main centers of handicrafts in Iran. In this study, its potential as a Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art was investigated and evaluated based on the benchmarking model. In this regard, 10 indicators of Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art were identified based on the UNESCO and by studying the 41 Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art. Then, Tabriz city was compared with the creative cities of Isfahan and Bandar Abbas. The results indicated that compared to Isfahan and Bandar Abbas cities, Tabriz city has been in good condition based on the indicators of exhibitions, job creation, education, production licenses, exports, and handicraft infrastructures. However, it has had poor performance based on some indicators including financial support, registered works, and temporary markets. Therefore, it is recommended that by expanding the number of temporary markets and providing financial support, the city can be introduced as a Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art.