Industrial Tourism Service Provider (ITSP) centers play a central role in delivering industrial tourism services, including industrial and educational tours, in collaboration with industrial centers. To attract more customers, enhance customer satisfaction, and remain competitive, ITSPs need to identify and cooperate with industrial centers that offer greater attractiveness and suitability for industrial tourism activities. Accordingly, this study aims to identify and evaluate the criteria influencing the selection of industrial centers for cooperation from the perspective of ITSPs. First, eight evaluation criteria are identified through a comprehensive literature review and consultation with experts. The relative importance of the criteria is then determined using the Fuzzy Best-Worst Method (FBWM). Subsequently, a case study is conducted in Mazandaran Province, Iran, and the 11 candidate industrial centers are evaluated and prioritized as alternatives using the Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (FTOPSIS). The results indicate that “Innovative products or services” and “High and advanced technologies” are the most important criteria for selecting industrial centers for cooperation, whereas “Company history and reputation” and “Organizational structure and infrastructure” have the lowest relative importance. Moreover, among the industrial centers, “Mazinoor Lighting Industries Company” and “Nami Gostar Chemical Mamtir Company” are identified as the most and least suitable centers, respectively, for cooperation in providing and developing industrial tourism activities. Besides, the results provide a useful framework for managers of ITSP centers in the decision-making process for cooperation with industrial centers.



Industrial Tourism Service Provider (ITSP) centers play a central role in delivering industrial tourism services, including industrial and educational tours, in collaboration with industrial centers. To attract more customers, enhance customer satisfaction, and remain competitive, ITSPs need to identify and cooperate with industrial centers that offer greater attractiveness and suitability for industrial tourism activities. Accordingly, this study aims to identify and evaluate the criteria influencing the selection of industrial centers for cooperation from the perspective of ITSPs. First, eight evaluation criteria are identified through a comprehensive literature review and consultation with experts. The relative importance of the criteria is then determined using the Fuzzy Best-Worst Method (FBWM). Subsequently, a case study is conducted in Mazandaran Province, Iran, and the 11 candidate industrial centers are evaluated and prioritized as alternatives using the Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (FTOPSIS). The results indicate that “Innovative products or services” and “High and advanced technologies” are the most important criteria for selecting industrial centers for cooperation, whereas “Company history and reputation” and “Organizational structure and infrastructure” have the lowest relative importance. Moreover, among the industrial centers, “Mazinoor Lighting Industries Company” and “Nami Gostar Chemical Mamtir Company” are identified as the most and least suitable centers, respectively, for cooperation in providing and developing industrial tourism activities. Besides, the results provide a useful framework for managers of ITSP centers in the decision-making process for cooperation with industrial centers.





Industrial Tourism Service Provider (ITSP) centers play a central role in delivering industrial tourism services, including industrial and educational tours, in collaboration with industrial centers. To attract more customers, enhance customer satisfaction, and remain competitive, ITSPs need to identify and cooperate with industrial centers that offer greater attractiveness and suitability for industrial tourism activities. Accordingly, this study aims to identify and evaluate the criteria influencing the selection of industrial centers for cooperation from the perspective of ITSPs. First, eight evaluation criteria are identified through a comprehensive literature review and consultation with experts. The relative importance of the criteria is then determined using the Fuzzy Best-Worst Method (FBWM). Subsequently, a case study is conducted in Mazandaran Province, Iran, and the 11 candidate industrial centers are evaluated and prioritized as alternatives using the Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (FTOPSIS). The results indicate that “Innovative products or services” and “High and advanced technologies” are the most important criteria for selecting industrial centers for cooperation, whereas “Company history and reputation” and “Organizational structure and infrastructure” have the lowest relative importance.