Payame Noor University Communication Management in Sport Media 2345-5578 12 1 2024 10 22 Simulating the Effect of Integrated Marketing Communication on Attracting Sports Tourists to Ardabil Province, Iran Simulating the Effect of Integrated Marketing Communication on Attracting Sports Tourists to Ardabil Province, Iran 97 115 9735 10.30473/jsm.2023.67151.1737 FA Ghasem Zarei Associate Professor, Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran. Seyedali Naghavi Ph.D. student, Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran. Journal Article 2023 02 19 The present study was to simulate the effect of integrated marketing communication (IMC) on attracting sports tourists to Ardabil Province, Iran. This exploratory study was thus fulfilled using a mixed-methods research design based on comparative-inductive reasoning. The statistical population included 15 theoretical and practical experts, selected via purposive sampling. The data collection tools also comprised of interviews and questionnaires. In the qualitative phase, the main categories and sub-categories of the IMC components were identified through thematic analysis. Then, such components were prioritized using the fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) in the quantitative phase. Ultimately, the effect of IMC on attracting sports tourists was simulated with reference to agent-based modeling (ABM). The data were subsequently analyzed with the MAXQDA 2020 software package in the qualitative phase. To do so in the quantitative phase, the Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet software program and the AnyLogic Simulation software were run. The study results revealed 22 initial codes, 14 sub-categories (viz. sub-themes), and five main categories (that is, themes). Among the IMC components, advertising (Ad) was ranked higher, and then direct marketing (DM), personal selling (PS), sales promotion (SP), and public relations (PR) were placed in the next ranks in terms of their effects. Besides, the simulation output demonstrated that the proposed model could appropriately estimate the future prospects of attracting sports tourist to Ardabil Province, Iran. The present study was to simulate the effect of integrated marketing communication (IMC) on attracting sports tourists to Ardabil Province, Iran. This exploratory study was thus fulfilled using a mixed-methods research design based on comparative-inductive reasoning. The statistical population included 15 theoretical and practical experts, selected via purposive sampling. The data collection tools also comprised of interviews and questionnaires. In the qualitative phase, the main categories and sub-categories of the IMC components were identified through thematic analysis. Then, such components were prioritized using the fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) in the quantitative phase. Ultimately, the effect of IMC on attracting sports tourists was simulated with reference to agent-based modeling (ABM). The data were subsequently analyzed with the MAXQDA 2020 software package in the qualitative phase. To do so in the quantitative phase, the Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet software program and the AnyLogic Simulation software were run. The study results revealed 22 initial codes, 14 sub-categories (viz. sub-themes), and five main categories (that is, themes). Among the IMC components, advertising (Ad) was ranked higher, and then direct marketing (DM), personal selling (PS), sales promotion (SP), and public relations (PR) were placed in the next ranks in terms of their effects. Besides, the simulation output demonstrated that the proposed model could appropriately estimate the future prospects of attracting sports tourist to Ardabil Province, Iran. https://sportmedia.journals.pnu.ac.ir/article_9735_00fa4180cdfdb596bdbbf6a8c0a61a79.pdf