LAUSR

Religious cities are considered popular tourist attractions; therefore, they make use of branding as an effective strategy in urban development to enhance the tourism industry. Given the spiritual appeal of religious cities, it seems that a number of hypotheses on city-brand management have undergone changes. Considering these hypotheses, this study aimed at investigating the structural relationship between destination image, overall satisfaction, satisfaction attributes and loyalty in the city of Mashhad. The required data were collected by using a questionnaire randomly distributed among the visitors of the Imam Reza shrine. In order to analyze the data, exploratory factor analysis was first used, and then confirmatory factor analysis was utilized. Contrary to what is claimed by a number of studies on branding, the results of this study showed that the visitors' decision to pay a return visit to Mashhad was affected not by their overall satisfaction but by their devotion to the holy place, which could be regarded as an important factor in their return to the city as a tourist destination. Destination loyalty was also found to have a direct and considerable influence on destination image in this religious city.