Multi-Criteria Spatial Decision-Making for Tourism Resort Site: A Case Study of Khenchela Province, Algeria

Siham Tagherist, Mazouz Toufik

Abstract


This study aims to evaluate land suitability for establishing tourist resorts in the Wilaya of Khenchela, a region distinguished by unique natural and historical assets that position it as a prospective tourism destination. The analysis methodology integrates Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to identify the most suitable sites for tourism investment. The study classified the criteria into major categories: tourism criteria (proximity to tourist resources), economic criteria (proximity to roads and population centers), and environmental and topographic criteria (slope, elevation, terrain aspect, vegetation cover NDVI, fire risk, and air purity AOD). Relative weights were assigned to these criteria based on expert opinions, then spatially processed using GIS tools to generate a tourism suitability map. Results show that the most suitable areas concentrate near tourist resources and main roads, enhancing investment feasibility in these locations. The integration of environmental and topographic factors helps ensure sustainability and mitigate risks associated with tourism projects. The findings emphasize the importance of adopting quantitative and transparent analytical tools in tourism investment planning, supporting sustainable local development, and strengthening Khenchela’s position as a national and regional tourism destination.

Keywords: tourism resort site, analytic hierarchy process, GIS- Factors, Khenchela Province

© 2025 Serbian Geographical Society, Belgrade, Serbia.

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Serbia.


Full Text:

PDF

References


Aditi, A., Biraj, K. M., Tunih, B., Kamal, A., Prabuddh, K. M., Anuj, T., & Rima, D. (2022). Geospatial analysis of geo-ecotourism site suitability using AHP and GIS for sustainable and resilient tourism planning in West Bengal, India. Sustainability, 14(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042422

Al-Akahli, I. A., & Aldahmashi, B. A. (2024). Initial selection of dam sites using remote sensing, geographic information systems, and the analytic hierarchy process in Al-Hussein District, Al-Dhale Governorate, Yemen. Sana’a University Journal of Sciences and Technology, 2(2), Article 179. https://doi.org/10.59628/jast.v2i2.886

Aşılıoğlu, F. (2021). GISimos MCDA land suitability model for ecotourism development. Journal of Environmental Engineering and Landscape Management, 29(3), 200–214. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352491050_Gisimos_mcda_land_suitability_model_for_ecotourism_development

Bahurmoz, A. (2004). The analytic hierarchy process: A methodology for win–win management. Egyptian Computer Science Journal, 26. https://doi.org/10.4197/Eco.20-1.1

Banai-Kashani, R. (1989). A new method for site suitability analysis: The analytic hierarchy process. Environmental Management, 13, 685–693. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01868308

Çetinkaya, C., Kabak, M., & Özceylan, E. (2018). Evaluation of ecotourism sites: A GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis. Kybernetes, 47(8), 1664–1686.

Deribew, K. T., Mihretu, Y., Abreha, G., & Dessalegn, O. G. (2022). Spatial analysis of potential ecological sites in the northeastern parts of Ethiopia using multi-criteria decision-making models. Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science, 6, 961–991. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41685-022-00248-5

di, W., Richard, W. B., & Allan, M. W. (2009). Clustering and compatibility between tourism attractions. International Journal of Tourism Research, 12(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.732

Djabri, A. D., Bouhata, R., Guellouh, S., & Bensakhria, A. (2023). Wildfire vulnerability assessment and mapping using remote sensing, GIS, and weighted overlay method in the eastern Aurès, Khenchela, Algeria. Geoadria, 28(2), 191–210. https://doi.org/10.15291/geoadria.4218

Esen, H. (2023). Analytical hierarchy process problem solution. IntechOpen.

Gelan, E. (2021). GIS-based multi-criteria analysis for sustainable urban green spaces planning in emerging towns of Ethiopia: The case of Sululta Town. Environmental Systems Research, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40068-021-00220-w

Geremew, Y. M., & Yohannes, H. (2015). Site suitability evaluation of ecotourism potentials for sustainable natural resource management and community-based ecotourism development: The case of Bench Maji Zone, southwestern Ethiopia. Scholars Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(8B), 1368–1383. https://doi.org/10.36347/sjahss.2015.v03i08.015

Gomes da Silva, E. G., Rocha Moreira, F., Aurélio Carvalho Georg, M., Ribeiro dos Santos, R., Ribeiro Júnior, L. A., & Nunes, R. R. (2025). Binary decision support using AHP: A model for alternative analysis. Algorithms, 18(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/a18060320

Guan, Z. M., & Qiao, W. F. (2013). The research on the site selection of tourist resorts based on GIS. Applied Mechanics and Materials, 357–360, 1674–1678. https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.357-360.1674

Harishnaika, N., Arpitha, M., Ahmed, S. A., & Ashwini, K. S. (2023). Geospatial investigation of site suitability for ecotourism development using AHP and GIS techniques in Uttara Kannada District, Karnataka State, India. World Development Sustainability, 3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wds.2023.100114

Huong, T. T. H., Quang, H. T., An Thinh, N., & Luc, H. (2018). Multicriteria evaluation of tourism potential in the Central Highlands of Vietnam: Combining geographic information systems (GIS), analytic hierarchy process (AHP), and principal component analysis (PCA). Sustainability, 10(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093097

Jokar, P., Massoudi, M., & Karimi, F. (2021). An MCE-based innovative approach to evaluating ecotourism suitability using GIS. Geographical Research Letters, 47(2). https://doi.org/10.18172/cig.4291

Kader, Z., Islam, M. T., Hossain, M. M., Islam, M. R., Miah, M., & Jaafer, W. Z. W. (2024). GIS- and AHP-based flood susceptibility mapping: A case study of Bangladesh. Sustainable Water Resources Management, 10(5). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-024-01150-y

Kerebeh, H. (2020). Contemporary land suitability analysis for urban expansion in Welkite Town, Gurage Zone, Ethiopia. Journal of Geography and Regional Planning, 13(4), 91–98. https://doi.org/10.5897/JGRP2019.0756

Khwanruthai, B., & Murayama, Y. (2011). Site suitability evaluation for ecotourism using GIS and AHP: A case study of Surat Thani Province, Thailand. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 21, 269–278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.07.024

Lin, C., & Juan, P. (2010). Measuring location selection factors for international resort parks. Quality & Quantity, 44, 1257–1270. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-009-9275-2

Malczewski, J., & Rinner, C. (2015). Multicriteria decision analysis in geographic information science. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-74757-4

Mu, E., & Pereyra-Rojas, M. (2017). Understanding the analytic hierarchy process. In Practical decision making: An introduction to the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) using Super Decisions V2. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33861-3

Omid, G., Blaschke, T., Gholamina, K., & Aryal, J. (2019). Forest fire susceptibility and risk mapping using social–infrastructural vulnerability and environmental variables. Fire, 2(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/fire2030050

Omid, G., Samerah, P., Blaschke, T., & Feizizadeh, B. (2019). Mapping potential nature-based tourism areas using GIS-based decision-making systems in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. Journal of Ecotourism, 18(3), 261–283. https://doi.org/10.1080/14724049.2019.1597876

Pin-Ju, J., & Shin-Yi, L. (2013). Selecting resort locations. Tourism Economics, 19(6), 173–189. https://doi.org/10.5367/te.2013.0247

Rahmani, S., & Benmassoud, H. (2019). Modelling of forest fire risk spatial distribution in the Aurès region, Algeria. Geoadria, 24(2), 83–98. https://doi.org/10.15291/geoadria.2846

Shaghaghipour, M. R., & Larijani, M. (2017). Tourist resort location using analytic hierarchy process and its impact on tourism: An environmental–ecological study of Khansar City. Open Journal of Ecology, 7(6), Article 366. https://doi.org/10.4236/oje.2017.76026

Withanage, N. C., Wijesinghe, D. C., Mishra, P. K., Abdelrahman, K., Mishra, V., & Fnais, M. S. (2024). An ecotourism suitability index for a world heritage city using GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis techniques. Heliyon, 10(11). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31585

Yanlong, L., & Li, L. (2020). Mountainous city featured landscape planning based on GIS–AHP analytical method. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 9(4), Article 211. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi9040211

Yerik, A. S., & Danny, M. (2022). Mangrove-based ecotourism sustainability analysis using NDVI and AHP approach. Indonesian Journal of Computing and Cybernetics Systems, 16(2), 125–136. https://doi.org/10.22146/ijccs.68986

Zabihi, H., Ahmad, A., Vogeler, I., Said, M. N., Golmohammadi, M., Golein, B., & Nilashi, M. (2015). Land suitability procedure for sustainable citrus planning using the analytic network process and GIS. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 117, 114–126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2015.07.014

Zeraib, S., Kouba, Y., & Berghout, B. (2022). The influence of tourism development strategies on destination attractiveness: A case study of the Aurès Mountains, Algeria. Sustainability, 14(20). https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013045

Zerghi, A. H., Alireza, B., & Sayed, M. H. (2019). Site suitability evaluation for ecotourism using GIS and MCDM: A case study of Bazangan Lake Watershed, Iran. Journal of Novel Applied Sciences, 8(8), 170–181.

Zhang, N., Ran, R., Zhang, Q., & Zhang, T. (2020). Air pollution and tourism development: An interplay. Annals of Tourism Research, 85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2020.103032


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.