Motive-based segmentation of tourists in rural areas: the case of Maragheh, East Azerbaijan, Iran

Motive-based segmentation of tourists in rural areas: the case of Maragheh, East Azerbaijan, Iran

Tourism development in rural areas is one of the most important support strategies for farm diversification and rural development. In Iran, the industry has gained increasing attention in recent years, but less attention has been paid to rural tourism market segmentation to identify homogeneous groups of tourists. Therefore, this study aimed at understanding the segmentation of this market by researching the motives of tourists travel to the villages of Maragheh County in Iran, which has extraordinarily beautiful gardens and very attractive scenery. The sample size of this study was 200 tourists selected by the convenience sampling method. Data were collected through structured questionnaires. A factor-clustering method determined five distinct segments: ‘self-actualized married women’, ‘married nostalgic men’, ‘young learning and nutrition-sensitive tourists’ and ‘energetic and contact in nature young tourists’. Understanding these segments will provide valuable information for rural tourism tour operators and destination management organizations.