Authors
1
Ph.D Candidate of Business Management, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran
2
Professor, Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran
3
Professor, Department of Business Management, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran
10.22080/tmhr.2026.31472.1131
Abstract
Iran’s free trade and industrial zones, as major shopping tourism destinations, are increasingly confronted with challenges related to effective crowd management and the maintenance of tourist experience quality due to growing visitor flows and the convergence of physical and digital environments. In this context, phygital crowd management has emerged as a promising approach for enhancing shopping tourists’ satisfaction. Therefore, this study aims to develop a scenario-based hybrid simulation model to examine the impact of phygital crowd management on shopping tourists’ satisfaction in Iran’s free trade and industrial zones.This applied research adopted a mixed-methods descriptive–analytical design. In the qualitative phase, the dimensions of phygital crowd management were identified through semi-structured interviews with 15 academics, managers, and experts from Iran’s free trade and industrial zones using snowball sampling and thematic analysis. In the quantitative phase, data were collected from 32 experts selected through judgmental sampling. The identified factors were prioritized using the Fuzzy Delphi method, scenarios were developed through the Taguchi design of experiments, and the optimal scenario was simulated using an integrated Agent-Based Modeling framework. Six major themes were identified, including Destination Carrying Capacity and Tourist Flow Management, infrastructure, economic factors, interactive emerging technologies, marketing, and education. Among these, Destination Carrying Capacity and Tourist Flow Management exerted the strongest influence on shopping tourists’ satisfaction. Simulation results further indicated that, under the optimal scenario, the shopping tourist satisfaction index reached 79% by the end of the simulation horizon.The findings underscore the importance of prioritizing the identified determinants, particularly Destination Carrying Capacity and Tourist Flow Management, in strategies aimed at improving shopping tourists’ satisfaction.This study contributes to the literature by proposing an integrated framework for phygital crowd management in shopping tourism and examining its effects through a scenario-based hybrid simulation approach, a perspective that has received limited attention in previous research.
Keywords
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