Strategic analysis of developing Iran's active sports tourism

The tourism industry has grown explosively in the 21st century and has found a special place in the gross domestic product (GDP) and economic growth of countries. Sports tourism is an important part of the tourism industry and has various types. In recent years; Active sports tourism has grown increasingly in international tourism markets. Therefore; the purpose of this research was strategic analysis in order to develop Iran's active sports tourism at the international level. The research methodology was mixed (qualitative and quantitative). In order to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats surrounding Iran's active sports tourism, interviews and library research were used. In this research, in-depth interviews were conducted with 37 experts and the working group of experts was used to analyze, formulate and evaluate strategies. The findings showed that weak marketing is the most important weakness, the existence of many attractions of active sports tourism is the most important strength, the high value of international currencies in Iran is the most important opportunity, and USA sanctions are the most important threats to active sports tourism in Iran at the international level. Digital marketing, viral marketing and influencer marketing are three modern marketing methods in the development of the tourism industry, which should be used well in order to increase the active sports tourism market share of Iran in the international market.