Published by Science and Education Centre of North America ~ 1 ~ Residents ’ Attitudes toward International Tourism:

The main objective of this research was to investigate Iranian attitudes toward the impact of foreign tourism on the economic, social/cultural, environmental, and the country’s religion. The results of the survey questionnaire to 836 Iranians in major tourism cities revealed that, in general, Iranians view foreign tourism as having a positive influence economically, social/culturally, and environmentally. On the impact of foreign tourism on the country’s religion, residents were mostly neutral, indicating ambivalence whether the impact would be positive or negative. Implications of the findings for the country’s economic development strategies are discussed