The role of place meaning in shaping the mental image of tourists(Case study: Jannat neighborhood of Mashhad city)

The success or failure of destination tourism development in the world depends on the mental image of tourists towards them and how this attitude is managed by the government and tourism planners; this image is influenced by tourists' perceptions of the meaning of place and perception Is observed. The purpose of this study is to analyze the role of the meaning of place in creating a clear mental image in tourists. This research has been done in Janat neighborhood as one of the historical and touristic neighborhoods of Mashhad. The present study is applied in terms of purpose and in terms of the nature of the survey. In this research, a quantitative method has been used to analyze 384 questionnaires answered by tourists in the research environment and also a qualitative method has been used to analyze tourists' mental images and their behavior; Data collection was done through questionnaires, field visits and observations by a trained supervisor, and structural equations were used to analyze the data, using SMART PLS software and cognitive map analysis. The results of the study indicate that the most important role of the meaning of place in the formation of tourists' mental images in terms of environmental factors including the readability of urban signs, meeting community expectations and the existence of quality and environmental proportions for easier understanding and human factors including communication. Strong visuals, senses and personal experience will be in the tourist image.