Sustainability in tourism: Evaluation of criteria using the analytical hierarchy process method

The tourism sector significantly contributes to economic, cultural, and social development in both developed and developing countries. However, focusing solely on the economic impacts of tourism for a long time has led to the neglect of its negative effects. This situation has brought the concept of sustainability to the forefront, making it one of the most discussed topics in recent years. The increase in competition and changing needs have transformed sustainable tourism into a necessity, especially for tourism enterprises and the sector as a whole. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the dimensions of sustainable tourism from the perspective of hotel managers. A literature review on sustainable development, sustainable tourism, sustainable hotels, and the dimensions of sustainable tourism has been conducted. As a result of the detailed literature review, the main and sub-criteria for sustainable tourism were identified. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method, one of the multi-criteria decision-making techniques, was used in the analysis of the study. AHP is an effective tool used to determine the importance levels of criteria in complex decision-making processes. Interviews were conducted with hotel managers to determine the importance order of factors related to the dimensions of sustainable tourism. These interviews, reflecting the managers' experiences and knowledge on sustainability, made the decision-making process more objective. The weights of the main and sub-criteria were calculated, and integrated criterion weights were found. Thus, the impact of each criterion on sustainable tourism was determined. Consistency analysis was performed to evaluate whether the obtained results were consistent. The study revealed how the different dimensions of sustainable tourism are evaluated by hotel managers and which criteria are deemed more important. This evaluation serves as a significant guide in the development of sustainable tourism policies and strategies. The perspectives of hotel managers on sustainability play a crucial role in enhancing the effectiveness of practices in this field. By combining the theoretical and practical aspects of sustainable tourism, this study can guide hotel management in adopting more sustainable practices. It is believed that the findings will provide significant contributions to increasing sustainability awareness in the tourism sector and achieving sustainable development goals