A study on tourist demand for Pahlevani and Zoorkhanei rituals as ancient Iranian sport

Nowadays sports, especially ancient sports, play an important role in promoting tourism. In recent decades, ancient Iranian Sport, especially Pahlevani and Zoorkhanei rituals as creative cultural products, attract many tourists to destinations and are well known as tourist attractions in Iran. Hence, the aims of this paper, which was conducted in the city of Isfahan, are: (1) to investigate the attitude of domestic tourists towards Pahlevani and Zoorkhanei rituals in Isfahan city; (2) to measure tourists’ awareness of Pahlevani and Zoorkhanei rituals as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage (ICH); and (3) to determine the priority given to attractions and activities around Pahlevani and Zoorkhanei rituals from the domestic tourists’ perspective. On the basis of the results of this study, it can be concluded that domestic tourists are interested in gaining experience and increasing their knowledge of Pahlevani and Zoorkhanei rituals. However, the level of awareness of these ancient sports among domestic tourists in the city of Isfahan is low. The results also illustrated that among the activities, visiting Zoorkhānehes in Isfahan, participating in Pahlevani and Zoorkhanei events and observing the live play of Pahlevani and Zoorkhanei rituals have high priority from the tourists’ perspective.