Factors Behind Tourists’ Travel Motivation: The Case of the Gilan Region, Iran

This research aims to identify the pull and push factors that are effective for tourists travelling to Gilan province and classifying their motivations into key factors. Data were collected using a questionnaire. A total of 20 motives, including 11 push factors and 9 pull factors, were investigated. The sample size of the study was 390 people. For data analysis, single-sample t-test and factor analysis were used. The results showed that the average total pull motive was greater than the push motive. Motives were divided into three main factors: ‘nature-based tourism and spiritual regeneration’, ‘place dependency and the purchase of agricultural products’ and ‘lifestyle’. It should be noted that the ‘nature-based tourism and spiritual regeneration’ was found to be the most important factor for travelling to Gilan province.