Journal of Geographical Studies of Mountainous Areas

Journal of Geographical Studies of Mountainous Areas

Typology and Prioritiation of Factors Affecting Souvenirs Purchase among Tourists (The Case of Domestic Tourists Who Visited Lorestan Province)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mohammad Ghaffari 1
Hossein Moeini 2
Hedayat Moradazdeh 3
Niloofar Falahi 1
1 Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management and Accounting, College of Farabi, University of Tehran, Iran.
2 Department of Management, Faculty of Human Sciences, Hazrat-e Masoumeh University, Qom, Iran.
3 Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management and Accounting, College of Farabi, University of Tehran, Iran
10.22034/gsma.2025.2075364.1134
Abstract
1. Introduction
Tourism is one of the four main pillars of sustainable economic, cultural and geographical growth and is an industry that is of particular importance in all countries of the world (Wu et al., 2022; Y. Zhang, 2019). The growth of the tourism industry also helps the growth of the tourist souvenir market, and on the other hand, it can be said that the souvenir market also plays a significant role in the development of the tourism industry.(J.Zhanget al., 2021).The range of goods that a traveler buys as souvenirs is also very diverse and includes goods such as fashionable clothes, jewelry, works of art, perfumes, cosmetics, electrical appliances and products that do not include customs duties. So, for international tourists, buying souvenirs accounts for nearly 50% of the expenses at the destination (Chao Chuang, 2021).
For this purpose, in the current research, an effort has been made to expand the study on souvenirs in Lorestan province, and the typology of factors affecting the purchase of souvenirs among domestic tourists and the prioritization of these factors have been discussed. The research on souvenirs provides valuable information for the
tourism industry and allows Marketers and souvenir market activists in different regions identify potential customers, know them better and offer their products according to their needs. In addition, from a strategic point of view, local souvenirs in different regions are cultural products and tourists' support helps to preserve this culture (Cho & Lee, 2013). Considering the suggestions of previous researchers for further studies in this field, as well as the review of foreign articles, the researcher has chosen this topic. In this regard, the main problem of this research is that:
-What are the factors influencing the purchase of souvenirs by domestic tourists?
- What is the priority of factors affecting the purchase of souvenirs by domestic tourists?
 
2. Methodology
In terms of purpose, the current study has adopted a practical approach and in terms of data collecting and analysis, the research is descriptive. The statistical population of this research includes local tourists traveled to Lorestan province betwen April 1400 to October 1400. To collect information related to the literature of this research and theoretical topics related to the subject, the method of library studies was used, and to collect information, a researcher-made questionnaire (4 demographic questions and 36 main questions) was used. The main measurement tool of this research was a researcher's questionnaire on the Likert scale.
The formal and content validity of the questionnaire was modified, adjusted, integrated, and confirmed by the opinion of experts and the opinion of 10 university professors. Also, Cronbach's alpha value according to the SPSS output, which was 0.95, for the questionnaire, indicates the good reliability of the research questionnaire.
For the data processing steps has been done using EXCEL and SPSS software. In this study, SPSS version 22 software was used for descriptive factor analysis. The descriptive method used includes averages, tables, frequencies, and percentages. Then, the used inferential statistics methods, which include confirmatory factor analysis, Bartlett, sampling adequacy index, and one-way variance analysis, were discussed.
 
3. Results
The statistical population of the research was domestic tourists who traveled to Lorestan province, and the demographic results show that there is not much gender difference between the tourists, most of the respondents were 25-35 years old, most of the tourists have higher education and the students are the largest group.
Based on Kaiser-Meyer's sample adequacy index, the value of the index equal to 0.77 was obtained. Also, the share rate is often above 0.50%. Among the questions, questions 29 with 0.71, question 34 with 0.77 and question 35 with 0.73 have the most shares, and questions 7 with 0.46 and 13 with 0.44 have the least shares.
The results of examining the eigenvalue and the matrix corresponding to the factors show that 10 factors can be identified. But we consider the first 6 factors. The first six identified factors explain a total of 43.41% of the variance of souvenir purchase, and the remaining 60% of the variance is explained by other subsequent factors. The variance percentage of the eigenvalue of the factors, after rotation by Varimax method. The factors are variances are 8.69, 7.70, 7.38, 7.11, 846.6, and 5.65%, respectively. This indicates the factors potential to explain tourists’ souvenir buying behavior.
Based on the exploratory factor analysis, six important components affecting the purchase of souvenirs were identified, including the physical environment inside the store, the behavior and attitude of the seller, the uniqueness of the souvenir, the price level and discounts, the geographic location of the store, and the social environment of the store.
According to the results of structural equations, among the identified factors, "store's physical environment" has the highest correlation with "store's geographical location" (r=0.57). The correlation between "store's geographical environment" and "store's social environment" is about 0.57. The correlation between the factors "physical environment inside the store" and "social environment of the store" has been determined at 0.51.
 
4. Discussion
Based on the results and analysis of this research has tried to provide solutions to understand the behavior of buying souvenirs by tourists as much as possible. The main goal of this research is to identify the factors affecting the purchase of souvenirs by domestic tourists, and Lorestan province has been selected as a case study. The important and influencing factors on the buying behavior of souvenirs among domestic tourists who traveled to Lorestan province are the physical environment inside the store, the behavior and attitude of the seller, the uniqueness of the souvenir, the price level and discounts, the geographical location of the store and the social environment of the store, which after studying the background of related researches, preparation and analysis of the questionnaire results have been obtained in this research. These findings are consistent with the findings of previous research in this field from various angles.
 
5. Conclusion
Considering the importance of سsouvenirs characteristics among the factors affecting the purchase, it seems necessary that the marketers
Author Contributions
In the preparation and writing of this article, all author has contributed equally and jointly. All stages of the research, from study design and data collection to analysis of results and final writing of the article, are the result of collaboration and collective agreement of all authors.
 
Data Availability Statement
Data available on request from the authors
 
Acknowledgments
This research was carried out as part of the master's thesis in tourism management, which according to the responsible author has no financialsupport.
 
Ethical Considerations
All authors affirm that this research was conducted in accordance with ethical standards, with no data fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism.
 
Funding
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
 
Conflict of Interest
The author declares no conflict of interes
and planners of this field, with more reliance on market research, guide the product manufacturers in preparing products that suit the tastes of tourists, so these products would be more favored by tourists while preserving the originality and elements of local culture. Moreover, the officials of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization need to regulate local artists and handmade souvenirs marketis in line with the market research conducted by the market experts to achieve economic efficiency.
Keywords
Tourist
Tourism
Purchase
Souvenir
Lorestan Province
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Journal of Geographical Studies of Mountainous Areas
Volume 6, Issue 3 - Serial Number 23
Autumn
Summer 2025
Pages 213-235