Post-Covid-19 Tourism Recovery Model based on Virtual Tours Tehran Metropolis

With the widespread outbreak of coronavirus (Covid-19), this industry was more affected by the negative effects than other industries due to its service nature and human communication. So that for a long time all tourism activities around the world stopped. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to identify the main factors affecting the recovery of tourism in the post-Covid-19 era based on virtual tours and finally to present a model for the metropolis of Tehran. The present research is applied and in terms of content and method, is in the category of descriptive-analytical research. The statistical population of the present study includes experts and specialists in the field of tourism and urban planning. The volume of the statistical sample is 148 people which is calculated through Sample power software. SPSS and Smart-PLS software were exerted to analyze the data. The findings of data analysis showed that policies and institutions with a coefficient of 0.884, infrastructure and virtual equipment with a coefficient of 0.652, advertising and information with a coefficient of 0.637, understanding of virtual tours with a coefficient of 0.445, the tendency to visit the destination with a coefficient of 0.364, respectively, have the greatest impact on the recovery of post-Covid-19 tourism. Therefore, it is clear that the criteria under study are interconnected in a chain. It is necessary for managers and relevant officials to continuously focus on the criteria and integrate them to achieve tourism recovery.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
The Covid-19 pandemic is one of the most important and influential events of the 21st century. In fact, the expansion of Covid-19 has weakened the world, and governments worldwide have imposed restrictions such as border closures, social quarantine, flight delays, closure of public places, and so on to prevent its spread. Obviously, all these restrictions have affected the travel and tourism industry the most, a sector that has often operated in its safe environment. Therefore, what is needed is the use of new approaches to reform the structure and recovery of tourism in the post-Covid-19 era. The use of virtual reality techniques in tourism development has created a new approach to tourism and has designed a virtual visitor. In this regard, we see that most countries active in the field of tourism, realizing the need for the issue, have concluded that they should use new and different methods to maintain contact with customers and tourists. And the remarkable thing is that even famous and well-known destinations have taken a step in this direction and have developed virtual tours to maintain tourist interest. Due to its historical antiquity and various monuments, Tehran is considered an important tourist destination and source of income. But it has not yet been able to establish itself as an active, cohesive, and organized destination, especially at the international level, which the Covid-19 outbreak has exacerbated. Therefore, this study aims to identify the main factors affecting the recovery of tourism in the post-Covid-19 era based on virtual tours and finally to present a model for the metropolis of Tehran.
 
-What is the model of tourism recovery in Tehran metropolis in the post-Covid-19 era based on virtual tours?
 
Methodology
The present research is applied, and in the field of content and method is among descriptive-analytical research. The required information was collected through the library and field method. The statistical population of the present study includes experts and specialists in the field of tourism and urban planning, and the volume of the statistical sample in this study, due to the use of structural equations, is calculated through the Sample power software and is 148 people. The research questionnaire was provided to seven experts in order to assess its validity and was approved. Cronbach's alpha was used for the reliability of the questionnaire, which was obtained above 0.8 for all items. As a result, it was accepted, and according to the experts, there is no critical overlap between the items. The sampling method is also purposeful (due to the existence of a limited community and the fact that the field of research is also a specialized field, in fact, the researcher sampled in a chain). Then, to analyze the descriptive statistics of the research, SPSS software is used, and finally, to present the tourism recovery model in the post-Covid-19 era based on virtual tours and to analyze the impact of factors on each other, Smart-PLS software was exerted.
 
Result and discussion
According to the results, it became clear that policies and institutions with a coefficient of 0.884, infrastructure and virtual equipment with a coefficient of 0.652, advertising and information with a coefficient of 0.637, understanding of virtual tours with a coefficient of 0.445, tendency to visit from the destination with a coefficient of 0.364, respectively, have the greatest impact on the recovery of post-Covid-19 tourism. On the other hand, policies and institutions affect infrastructure and virtual equipment with a coefficient of 0.841 and advertising and information with a coefficient of 0.634; virtual infrastructure and equipment affect understanding of virtual tours with a coefficient of 0.470; advertising and information affect the perception of virtual tours with a coefficient of 0.370, and the perception of virtual tours affect the tendency to visit the destination with a coefficient of 0.701.
 
Conclusion
Looking at the current situation in the metropolis of Tehran (review of statistics, figures, and field observations), especially in the context of the prevalence of Covid-19, it can be seen that this metropolis can achieve post-Covis-19 tourism internationally and attract tourists in a wide range if its primary focus is on policies and institutions in the form of such factors as legislation, financial and moral support of the government, the integration of relevant institutions and training of specialized personnel, which in turn lead to the strengthening of infrastructure and virtual facilities, and advertising and information as two essential criteria in the recovery of tourism. Subsequently, the ground for understanding virtual tours in the form of perceived ease, perceived usefulness, and perceived pleasure is formed and directly in the tendency to visit the destination in the form of obtaining more information about the destination, interest to visit, experience the destination, and recommend to others. Therefore, it is clear that the criteria under study are interconnected in a chain. It is necessary for managers and relevant officials to continuously focus on the criteria and integrate them to achieve tourism recovery.