The effect of tourist's mental image on the perceived value of coastal cities in the Caspian Sea

In recent years, the need to study the positive effects of tourism development is being felt well. Appropriate accommodations can be a means to improve the image of the destination, local people's sense of pride and honor. Tourism development in the northern towns and villages can have long-term effects on the local economy, infrastructure, cultural aspects - social and business and should be considered as a factor affecting the development and improvement of economic situation (increasing income and employment) and improve the image of these areas (awareness and knowledge of regional visits). Hence, this study examines the relationship between mental image, perceived value as well as perceived quality of tangible and intangible factors. Thus, first the conceptual model was designed based on theory and then the tests were subjected to the survey - analytical method. The population under study was 200 tourists of Caspian Sea coast randomly selected based on the Cochran formula. The data obtained by a distributed questionnaire were analyzed through structural equations and partial least squares method through the following software PLS. The results indicated that perceived quality is more important than perceived value as the consequences of tourist's mental image. It was also found that the quality of intangible factors does not significantly affect tourist’s mental image.