The influence of theocratic rule and political turmoil on tourists’ length of stay

Abstract

The average tourist’s length of stay (LOS) is in a global decline. This downward trend underscores the need to study the factors that affect this variable in order to enable more effective management and marketing. This paper moves beyond the literature by investigating the determinants of international tourists’ LOS in a Muslim destination amid political crisis. LOS was evaluated using a survival analysis approach with data from 726 international tourists in Tabriz, Iran to ascertain the significant factors influencing trip length. The results reveal that the determinant factors are as follows: socio-demographic profiles, trip characteristics, and destination attributes. In addition, political turmoil and religious regulations are pivotal factors in LOS. The empirical findings provide valuable theoretical contributions to researchers and actionable guidance to tourism managers and marketers.