The Impact of Industrial Tourism on Brand Equity in Iran

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate how industrial tourism influences brand equity in the context of Iran, integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches across three complementary phases. In Phase 1, a metasynthesis combined with grounded theory was applied to identify the multidimensional impacts of industrial tourism on visited sites and visitors, providing the conceptual foundation for the study. Phase 2 employed a structured questionnaire with 385 industrial tourists to quantitatively assess the effects of industrial tourism on the four dimensions of brand equity, awareness, perceived quality, brand associations, and loyalty, derived from the conceptual model. Phase 3 conducted in-depth interviews with 25 industrial tourists to explore their experiential perceptions and contextualize the quantitative findings. The results show that industrial tourism significantly enhances brand equity, particularly through increased brand awareness and perceived quality, while also influencing associations and loyalty. This three-phase design demonstrates how integrating theoretical synthesis, empirical measurement, and experiential insights offers a comprehensive understanding of the role of industrial tourism in strengthening both corporate brands and regional identity in an emerging market setting.