Mountaineering tourism market segmentation in Iran: a demographic and motivational approach

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Ph.D. Student of Sport Management, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Kharazmi University,Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Sports Management, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Recently, sports tourism in mountaineering has experienced a significant boom in Iran. In order to properly utilize the potential of the tourism market, target groups must be identified. Therefore, in this study, accurate identification of tourism market segmentation as one of the pillars of success in the field of tourism management has been examined. The overall goal of this study is to segment the Iranian mountaineering tourism market based on demographic characteristics and motivations. This study is an applied research based on its objectives and is a survey type in terms of data collection method. The data collection tool is a questionnaire consisting of three sections and within the framework of a five-option Likert scale. The statistical population of the study was domestic mountaineers from different cities in Iran, and the samples were selected voluntarily and non-randomly. Descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and cluster analysis were used to analyze the data. The results showed that individuals differed significantly in terms of education level, average monthly income, type of sports activity, and information sources used in the four clusters obtained. Also, all motivation subscales and total scores in the clusters differed significantly, and all pairwise differences between clusters were significant in terms of motivation scales. Based on the results obtained, the motivation variable had a positive and significant effect on the tourism market; but the effect of the demographic variable on the tourism market was not significant.

Keywords

References

 
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Journal of Sustainable Development in Sport Management
Volume 6, Issue 15
January 2026
Pages 1-30

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