Residents' attitudes toward international tourism: A case of Iran

The main objective of this research is to investigate Iranian attitudes toward the impact of foreign tourism on the economic, social/cultural, environmental, and the country’s religion. The results of the survey questionnaire to 836 residents across the country revealed that, in general, Iranians view foreign tourism as having a positive influence economically, socially/culturally, and environmentally. On the impact of foreign tourism on the country’s religion, residents were mostly neutral, indicating ambivalence whether the impact would be positive or negative. Implications of the findings are discussed from the country’s economic development strategies.