Tourism, as one of the most important drivers of economic development and urban resilience, plays a strategic role in international corridors such as the Silk Road. Despite Semnan's historical, cultural, and climatic capacities in this corridor, the lack of a comprehensive model for analyzing and designing the strategic tourism value chain is noticeable. The present study aimed to present and test the tourism value chain model in the Silk Road corridor and explain the mechanisms that affect the creation of urban economic value.
The research method was designed as a mixed exploratory (qualitative-quantitative) approach. In the qualitative part, by analyzing the content of semi-structured interviews with 18 tourism experts, the main components were identified and refined using the Delphi method. In the quantitative part, data from 180 questionnaires (distributed among stakeholders and experts) were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) in AMOS v.24 software.
The results showed that “smart governance” has the greatest impact on heritage infrastructure (β=0.41) and “destination experience” on urban economic value creation (β=0.43). The model fit indices (RMSEA=0.067, CFI=0.93, and GFI=0.90) confirm the validity of the model. IPA analysis also revealed management priorities in four strategic quadrants. The proposed model shows that economic value in tourism destinations is not formed through a single factor, but through synergistic interaction between elements of the value chain. This analytical framework can be used as a tool for policymakers and urban managers in strategic tourism planning, optimal resource allocation, and strengthening Semnan’s competitive position in the Silk Road Corridor.