University of Zanjan Economic Geography Research 2821-2266 5 16 2024 08 22 Explaining the effective components of a happy city on the development of tourism in the metropolitan city of Isfahan Explaining the effective components of a happy city on the development of tourism in the metropolitan city of Isfahan 46 62 715560 10.30470/jegr.2024.2030036.1176 FA Hossein Tahmasebi Moghadm Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Faculty of Humanities, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran. 0000-0002-7753-5762 Leila Jalilian Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Faculty of Humanities, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran. 0000-0002-7753-5762 Zahra Vakili MSc Student, Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Faculty of Planning and Environmental Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran. 0000-0002-7753-5762 Zahra Rassoulzade Ph.D. Student, Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Faculty of Humanities, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran 0000-0002-5291-5611 Journal Article 2024 05 23 <strong>A happy city plays a significant role in the development of tourism and can greatly contribute to the tourism industry. Happiness, as one of the most important factors influencing public health, also holds a crucial position in tourism. Therefore, focusing on the role of a happy city in tourism development can significantly aid in achieving the goals and advancement of the tourism industry. This research aims to elucidate the role of a happy city in the tourism development of the metropolitan area of Isfahan. The study employs a mixed-methods approach and is applied in nature. Statistical data were collected using a questionnaire from a sample of 20 university professors and tourism industry experts. Data analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling and path coefficients in SmartPLS software. The results reveal that there are significant causal relationships between the influential factors of a happy city (social-cultural, economic-livelihood, managerial-administrative-political, environmental, psychological, spatial (physical) factors) and tourism development in Isfahan. The most significant component affecting tourism development in Isfahan is the social-cultural factor, followed by economic, spatial-physical, environmental, psychological, and managerial-administrative factors, with coefficients of 0.762, 0.239, 0.202, 0.217, 0.229, 0.231, and 0.203, respectively, all significant at the p<0.05 level. Among these, the social-cultural component has the highest impact with a coefficient of 0.762, followed by economic, spatial-physical, environmental, psychological, managerial-administrative, and service and infrastructure components on the development of tourism in the metropolitan area of Isfahan.</strong> <strong>A happy city plays a significant role in the development of tourism and can greatly contribute to the tourism industry. Happiness, as one of the most important factors influencing public health, also holds a crucial position in tourism. Therefore, focusing on the role of a happy city in tourism development can significantly aid in achieving the goals and advancement of the tourism industry. This research aims to elucidate the role of a happy city in the tourism development of the metropolitan area of Isfahan. The study employs a mixed-methods approach and is applied in nature. Statistical data were collected using a questionnaire from a sample of 20 university professors and tourism industry experts. Data analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling and path coefficients in SmartPLS software. The results reveal that there are significant causal relationships between the influential factors of a happy city (social-cultural, economic-livelihood, managerial-administrative-political, environmental, psychological, spatial (physical) factors) and tourism development in Isfahan. The most significant component affecting tourism development in Isfahan is the social-cultural factor, followed by economic, spatial-physical, environmental, psychological, and managerial-administrative factors, with coefficients of 0.762, 0.239, 0.202, 0.217, 0.229, 0.231, and 0.203, respectively, all significant at the p<0.05 level. Among these, the social-cultural component has the highest impact with a coefficient of 0.762, followed by economic, spatial-physical, environmental, psychological, managerial-administrative, and service and infrastructure components on the development of tourism in the metropolitan area of Isfahan.</strong> https://jurs.znu.ac.ir/article_715560_cc359e35dc5d80acfda459925bc68757.pdf