Analysis of the Components of Memorable Experiences on Urban Sustainability and Competitiveness of Tourism Destinations Case study: Ardabil City

Extended abstract
Introduction
Today, tourism industry has become not only an important economic resource for many countries; it is also referred to as an invisible export because of its unique economic mechanism. Despite economic and political instability and natural disasters, the tourism industry grew by 4% in 2019 to $ 1.7 trillion and surpassing the growth of the global economy in 2018. However, poorly planned development can have devastating effects on natural resources and local communities. As a result, sustainability is a vital factor in the growth and competitiveness of a tourism destination. These days, in order to achieve the sustainable development of urban tourism, destinations must make the best use of their resources and competitive advantages in the field of tourism. On the other hand, the competitiveness of a tourism destination must be sustainable. In a tourism destination, the main actors include tourists and a wide range of domestic stakeholders such as local residents, businesses and governments and only considered tourists, destinations and competitors, regardless of domestic stakeholders, cannot guarantee the survival of competitiveness and sustainability of urban tourism destinations. Ardabil city, which is the main tourism hub of Ardabil province and has a unique position in comparison with other areas, both in terms of geographical location in the center of the province and having suitable resources and potentials, as well as the possibility of proper access to this city. The opinion has given an important status and position in the tourism sector, despite having various tourism potentials, this city has not been able to attract tourists. Therefore, this study is aimed at answering the question: Do memorable experiences affect the sustainability and competitiveness of tourism destinations?
 Methodology
The present study is applied in terms of purpose, and descriptive-analytical in terms of method. In order to collect data, library and field methods were used. The statistical population of the study consisted of incoming tourists to Ardabil. Due to the lack of accurate statistics on the number of incoming tourists, Cochran's formula was used to determine the sample size for an unlimited community and the sample size was estimated at 384 people. It was a simple coincidence. A questionnaire was used to collect field data. The reliability of the questionnaire was measured by calculating Cronbach's alpha and calculating the combined reliability coefficient (CR). The results of Cronbach's alpha value and the combined reliability of the questionnaire confirm the appropriate reliability of the used questionnaire. In this study, SPSS and LISREL software programs were used to analyze the research data.
 Results and discussion
In testing the first hypothesis of the research, because the path coefficient was 0.52 and also considering that the value of T statistic was equal to 7.31, which is more than 1.96; therefore, this route coefficient is significant and the research hypothesis is confirmed and it can be said that memorable experiences of tourists have a positive and significant effect on the stability of tourism destinations. In the test of the second hypothesis of the research, according to the path coefficient is 0.31 and considering that the value of T statistic is equal to 5.49, which is more than 1.96; thus, this route coefficient is significant and the research hypothesis is confirmed and it can be said that memorable experiences of tourists have a positive and significant effect on the competitiveness of tourism destinations. In testing the third hypothesis of the research, considering that the path coefficient of this hypothesis is estimated to be 0.55 and based on the value of T statistic obtained is equal to 7.99, which is more than 1.96; therefore, this path coefficient is significant and the research hypothesis is confirmed and it can be said that the sustainability of tourism destinations has a positive and significant effect on the sustainability of tourism destinations.
 Conclusion
The results of examination of the first hypothesis of the study showed that memorable experiences of tourists have a positive and significant effect on the stability of tourism destinations. In order to interpret the results of this hypothesis, it can be said that the memorable experiences of tourists from tourism destinations create clear images for them and make their mental evaluation of the destinations more desirable, this increases the field of attachment to the destination. Enhancing tourist satisfaction leads to an increase of incomes and sustainable development of destinations. Researchers also argue that memorable tourism experiences are the best predictor of future tourist behavior and represent a new and decisive criterion for measuring tourist satisfaction and the intention to revisit the destination. Examination of the second hypothesis of the research showed that memorable experiences of tourists have a positive and significant effect on the competitiveness of tourism destinations. In order to expand the results of this hypothesis, it can be stated that the destinations should create memorable tourism experiences for their customers to increase their competitiveness. In fact, a tourism destination is competitive when in addition to it attracts countless tourists and brings them satisfaction and memorable experiences, as well as the ability to maintain and increase natural capital, earn income and enhance the welfare of citizens. The results of examining the third hypothesis of the study showed that the sustainability of tourism destinations has a positive and significant effect on the competitiveness of urban tourism destinations. In order to explicate the results, it can be said that the sustainability of tourism destinations preserves its natural and cultural resources by providing more satisfactory experiences to tourists than competitors, and also creates long-term well-being for residents, thus, the basis for optimal competitiveness of tourism destinations will be constructed.