Investigating and Identifying the most Effective Incentives based on Service Marketing in the Tendency to Choose Ecotourism (Case study: Sisangan Forest Park)

Khazaei Pul, Amir; Ghorbani, Ali

doi:10.22080/tmhr.2025.29764.1080

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	Investigating and Identifying the most Effective Incentives based on Service Marketing in the Tendency to Choose Ecotourism (Case study: Sisangan Forest Park)
پژوهش های بازاریابی گردشگری و میهمان نوازی
Article 12, Volume 3, Issue 1 - Serial Number 4, March 2025, Pages 281-306 PDF (999.55 K)
Document Type: Original Article
DOI: 10.22080/tmhr.2025.29764.1080
Authors
Amir Khazaei Pul^* ; Ali Ghorbani
Assistant Professor, Department of Management, Maziar Institute of Higher Education, Royan, Iran.
Receive Date: 02 August 2025, Revise Date: 10 August 2025, Accept Date: 11 August 2025
Abstract
Context and Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify the most effective incentives based on service marketing in the intention for ecotourism in the Sisangan Forest Park of Nowshahr. Design/methodology/approach: The statistical population of the study was tourists entering the Sisangan Forest Park, and 384 tourists were selected as a sample. Questionnaires were distributed using the convenience sampling method. The questionnaire on product design and development, price, place, promotion, people, process, and physical evidence was obtained from Eshete et al. (2020), the partnership and programming was obtained from Tshukudu (2012), and the ecotourism intention questionnaire was obtained from the research of Christian et al. (2023). Then, the data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling method. Findings: The results showed that the most effective incentives based on service marketing in creating a desire for ecotourism in Sisangan Forest Park are product design and development, location, price, people, promotion, and physical evidence, respectively, and factors such as planning, participation, and process did not have a significant effect. Among them, the variables of product development and design, and location had the greatest impact on the desire for ecotourism. Conclusion: Based on the results obtained, policymakers and tourism managers of Sisangan Park should focus more on designing comprehensive tourism packages, improving employee services, and developing advertising and communication infrastructures. Also, applying flexible pricing and creating online reservation and payment platforms can improve customer experience and turn ecotourism in the region into a sustainable competitive advantage. Originality/value: This research is one of the few studies that has comprehensively examined the factors affecting the development of ecotourism in one of the forest areas of northern Iran using various types of service marketing mixes. Also, focusing simultaneously on nine marketing indicators has provided a multidimensional and interdisciplinary view of the subject.
Keywords
Services marketing; Ecotourism; Forest park; Marketing; Customer intention

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Investigating and Identifying the most Effective Incentives based on Service Marketing in the Tendency to Choose Ecotourism (Case study: Sisangan Forest Park)