Human development is certainly a precequisite for political development. The Diversitying the economy , raising human development indexes , increasing the effieiency and productivity oa human resources , creating jobs , cultural inreractions , dialogs among civilizations , environmental protection , and in sum , sustained development are some of the concerns of modern world , and each country , no matter at what level of development if is , is trying ifs best to answer these needs. Mean while , those countries whice are involed in the diversitication of economy or cultural in teraction in the age of communication are seeking new advantages. One of these is tourism which is now included in the national developmental plan of most countries.

Iran , in its turn , enjoys geographical and touristic attractions such as monuments of historic and religious importance , climatic variety , an ancient civilization and a revolution which has had as its message the promotion of peace and dialog among nations. The country is thus teying to present its cultural , religius and political message to the wold besides its attempt to obtain the economic advantages pertaining to the tourist industry.

Pilgrimage as a form of religious tourism could be a major tool for reaching the above – mentioned objective. It could help us achieve the ever – increasing advantages of world tourism but avoid the possible disadvantages. In other words , culturally speaking , pilgrimage or religious tourism can bring relative advantages to the country.

The present M.A. dissertation has focused on pilgrimage as a good example of religious tourism , and has tried to present a model of planning for attracting foreign pilgrims to Iran.

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