Urban Development Policy Making

Urban Development Policy Making

Optimizing Tourist Attraction in the Historic Khorramabad Valley: A Sustainable Urban Tourism Planning Approach

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Ali Asghar Abdeshahi
Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Management, Faculty of Management and Economics, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran
10.22034/judpm.2025.556087.1071
Abstract
The Historic Khorramabad Valley, one of Iran’s oldest human settlements and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, holds exceptional natural and cultural tourism potential, yet faces barriers in infrastructure, marketing, and planning. This study aimed to determine the optimal combination of tourism infrastructure, destination marketing, and cultural-recreational events to maximize tourist attraction using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) with Central Composite Design. The sample included 101 tourism practitioners in Lorestan, assessed via a 9-point Likert questionnaire under hypothetical scenarios. The quadratic model (R² = 0.9638) was optimal. Results revealed marketing with the strongest linear effect (coefficient 1.23), infrastructure with positive quadratic effect (increasing returns), and events with negative quadratic effect (diminishing returns beyond optimum). A positive marketing-events interaction indicated synergy. The optimal mix infrastructure and marketing at level 9, events at 8.015 yielded 7.98 attraction. Findings underscore the need for integrated, data-driven sustainable tourism planning. Recommendations include forming an inter-sectoral steering committee, phased infrastructure investment, smart marketing, and optimized event management.
Keywords
Data-driven policymaking
World Heritage
Destination management
Tourism carrying capacity
Response Surface Methodology (RSM)
Subjects
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Urban Development Policy Making
Volume 3, Issue 2
Summer 2026
Pages 299-314

  • Receive Date 23 October 2025
  • Revise Date 22 December 2025
  • Accept Date 20 February 2026
  • Publish Date 01 June 2026