Introduction

Religious tourism in order to visit and visit blessed places in accordance with the macro concept of tourism, in addition to performing religious duties, has profound effects on increasing the level of peace and mental comfort, introducing and spreading religious and spiritual culture, as well as the economic, social and cultural effects of the host communities. Among these advantages, we can mention the reduction of problems caused by the single-product economy of countries, employment generation, income generation, regional development and preservation of cultural heritage at the national and regional level. With these interpretations, according to many thinkers, religious tourism is an efficient option for diversifying economic activities. Today, there are thousands of holy places around the world that have enough potential to develop and motivate travel among tourists. Considering that there are currently more than 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, and in terms of population, Islam is the second most popular religion in the world (after Christians). Attracting mass foreign tourists (Muslims and non-Muslims), in addition to numerous economic benefits for the host countries, causes a better and more effective introduction of the religion of Islam and shows the true face of Islam to other nations.
Weis Al-Qarn shrine is one of the typical tourist areas of Kermanshah province, which attracts thousands of tourists every year. In addition to the religious and cultural reasons for tourists to visit this tourist place, the beautiful landscape and the location of the paraglider flight site in the vicinity of this shrine have made it more attractive. Considering the small revenue generation of the religious tourism industry in our country and considering its development in the 20-year vision of our country's development, Identifying the challenges and problems of religious tourism places in the country, including Weis Al-Qarn shrine, can be a positive step towards the development of religious tourism as one of the sub-sectors of the tourism industry. Therefore, according to the mentioned contents, the main questions of the current research are: At what level is the assessment of the visitors of Weis Al-Qarn shrine from its challenges? And what are the most important challenges for the development of religious tourism in Weis Al-Qarn shrine?
 

Methodology

According to the divisions made regarding scientific researches, the current research is of an applied type, which was carried out with a combination of descriptive-analytical and exploratory methods. In terms of time, this study is of a single cross-sectional type, which was conducted in a period of 5 months (early June to the end of November 2023). In order to collect the required materials and data, a combination of documentary methods (reading articles related to the subject of study and organizational documents) and survey (completion of a questionnaire) has been used. The statistical population of the research includes the tourists of Weis Al-Qarn Shrine. Due to financial, time and difficult access to the study area, researchers have considered 180 people as a statistical sample. The main research tool for collecting field data is a researcher-made questionnaire. The basis for the design of the questionnaire was internal and external studies related to the subject under study. According to the research questions, mean comparison test (one-sample t-test) and exploratory factor analysis were used in SPSS software to analyze the collected data.
 

Results

The results of the research showed that, from the point of view of tourists, the challenges of the Weis Al-Qarn tourism sample area are at a relatively high level, and in line with the development of religious tourism in this geographical space, it is necessary to solve its challenges. The results of the research on the challenges of the sample tourism area of Vis al-Qarn showed that six major challenges have been identified. The most important of these challenges, in order of percentage of variance explanation of the dependent variable of the research, are: Weakness of health-treatment infrastructure (27.876 percent), weakness of welfare-residence infrastructure (13.842 percent), weakness of transportation infrastructure (10.013 percent), weakness of innovation and financial credit (8.817 percent), worn-out infrastructure (8.344 percent) and weak advertising and marketing (8.637 percent). Accuracy in the nature of identified challenges indicates the weakness of coherent and efficient management of religious tourism in the studied area. Meanwhile, coherent and efficient tourism management means an integrated and collaborative management that provides all factors, stakeholders, as well as the opinions and demands of tourists in an optimal way.
 

Discussion

Considering the increasing negative propaganda that has been made against Muslim countries, including our country, in recent years, development and promotion of religious tourism, while it can be an effective tool to prevent negative publicity, can be effective in promoting the nature of peace and humanization of the religion of Islam at the world level. Also, considering the positive and constructive effects of religious tourism on various economic, social, cultural and economic dimensions, the host communities, the promotion and development of religious tourism can be used in order to achieve the sustainable development of tourist destinations.  Promotion and development of religious tourism needs to solve the challenges and issues facing it. However, studies show that few studies have been done on the challenges of religious tourism, especially in non-urban areas. Having said that, the current research has been conducted with the aim of identifying challenges and providing solutions for the development of religious tourism in Weis Al-Qarn shrine, which hosts a large number of tourists during different days of the year.
 

Conclusion

By examining and identifying the state of religious tourism challenges in the sample tourism area of Vis al-Qarn, it is necessary to take necessary measures in line with the development of religious tourism by presenting practical suggestions according to the results obtained. However, the suggested solutions are as follows:
Preparation and compilation of the comprehensive tourism development plan of Weis Al-Qarn tourism sample area, Locating the construction of a tourism ecocamp in the sample tourism area of Weis Al-Qarn, Allocation of more financial credit for equipping, repairing and renovating other facilities and equipment needed by tourists, Adequate advertising and marketing to diversify tourism destinations (religious tourism, adventure tourism, nature tourism, etc.), Transferring permanent piped drinking water to the shrine of Weis Al-Qarn, Increasing the number and improving the quality of sanitary services, Construction of a mobile health and treatment aid clinic, Construction of several shrines equipped with heating and cooling equipment, Construction of a quality dining hall, widening and repairing the road leading to the shrine, Construction of covered parking and Construction of parks and green spaces, especially children's playgrounds.