A Qualitative Model for Transforming the Learning Cities into Learning Tourism Destinations (Case Study of Yazd)

Tourism destinations are getting more complex. Increasing uncertainty and environmental changes are among the most important ones that tourism destinations have to deal with to maintain their competitive advantage. Preferably innovation, flexibility, responsiveness, and redefinition of market opportunities can be considered as the new techniques for gaining the advantages. These techniques are focused on the effective use of knowledge, skills, and the experience of key actors, known as learning in the literature. Although the learning (organization) concept is spread in various settings such as cities (learning cities), or universities (learning universities), little research has been done in tourism. Thus, this research aims to provide a model for the development of Learning Tourism Destinations in Yazd. Based on qualitative methods, the researchers did a thematic analysis of the interviews with 14 tourism experts and an Interpretive Structural Model analysis of 12 experts’ questionnaires. The proposed model is composed of four levels in which there is sustainability at the highest level. In the second level of the model, there are futurism, system thinking, and human resource management empowerment. The third level of the model is composed of adaptive management, coordination and participation, cultural exchange, responsibility, innovation and creativity, and environmental intelligence. At the lowest level, there are factors of competitive intelligence, technological intelligence, research and development, intellectual capital, and knowledge management. The results of the research can be used as a model for transforming learning cities into learning tourism destinations.