Presenting the tourism industry development model emphasizing the role of media management with a mixed approach

Abstract The aim of this research is to present a model for the development of the tourism industry with an emphasis on the role of media management using a mixed approach. A mixed (qualitative-quantitative) approach has been used in this research. The statistical sample in the qualitative part included 15 professors and specialists and experts in communication, media and tourism: and in the quantitative part of the research, it included 200 managers and senior tourism experts in Mazandaran. In the first step of the research, the coding of the specialized research interviews was done using the qualitative analysis of the theme with MAXQDA v10.R150410 software. In the next step, the results of confirmatory factor analysis with Smart PLS software are presented. Then, the existing categories were leveled with the structural-interpretive method with MicMac software and the initial research model was designed. Based on the results obtained in this research, advertising, service quality, policy making, participation of local people, tourism culture, proper use of the environment, income generation in tourism destination and infrastructure facilities were identified as the main components that have an impact on the tourism industry. The results of the quantitative part of the research showed that the proposed model has a good fit and credibility for the impact of mass media on the development of the tourism industry. Extended Abstract Introduction Undoubtedly, tourism is one of the most prosperous service industries worldwide. Tourism is vital to the economic success of many countries around the world. Over the past two decades, some countries have been able to achieve very high incomes despite the shortage of natural resources by investing in the tourism industry (Qiu et al., 2020). There are numerous benefits of tourism in host destinations. Tourism increases economic income, creates thousands of jobs, develops a country's infrastructure, and creates a sense of cultural exchange between foreigners and citizens. The number of jobs created by tourism in many different regions is significant. These jobs are not only part of the tourism industry, but may also include the agricultural, communication, health, and educational sectors. Many tourists travel to experience the culture, different traditions, and cuisine of the host destination. This is very profitable for local restaurants, shopping centers, and shops. For instance, in Melbourne, Australia, with a populati