ANALYZING THE PRE-TRAVEL, ON-TRAVEL, AND POST-TRAVEL BEHAVIORS OF IRAN'S FIRST-TIME VISITORS

This study was designed to gain an understanding of the perceptions of foreign tourists traveling to Iran of the image of Iran (both pre- and post-travel), trip value, satisfaction, intention to revisit Iran, and likelihood to recommend Iran as a travel destination to others. The empirical data was conveniently obtained from 298 tourists who visited Iran. Using SPSS 19 and LISREL 8.8 programs, the results showed that there was a significant difference between the pre- and post-travel image of Iran. Before the visit, tourists had a negative image of Iran. This changed, however, after their visit. The results also showed that the post-travel image directly influenced trip value and tourist satisfaction. Furthermore, trip value and tourist satisfaction directly influenced revisit and recommend intentions.