Multi-criteria hybrid model of region assessment in the context of sustainable tourism

The main goal of the research was to develop a multi-criteria hybrid model for evaluating the region in the context of sustainable tourism, based on the example of the countries of the Visegrad Group. The research uses the mathematical apparatus of expert evaluation, theory of fuzzy sets, fuzzy logic, and multi-criteria evaluation of alternatives. For the first time, an expert method for assessing the level of sustainability of tourism in the region was developed, which was tested on the data of four groups of environmental criteria and sociocultural aspects. For the first time, a multi-criteria model for evaluating the region in the context of sustainable tourism was developed, based on the matrix multiplication method, which derives normalised estimates of regions by groups of sustainable tourism criteria. For the first time, a hybrid model of regional assessment in the context of sustainable tourism has been developed, aggregating the expert level of sustainable tourism development and the normalised estimates of regions by groups of sustainable tourism criteria. As a result, a ranking of regions in the context of sustainable tourism is being built for further decision-making by stakeholders of the new data-driven era. The multi-criteria hybrid model was verified and tested on real data from 2343 respondents of participants of the tourist movement in the V4 countries. The study outcomes will be very useful for policymakers, strategies and action plans, for agencies, national and international organisations, and other entities in the tourism system. They will support the development of a national and international comparative platform and strategic planning processes in the tourism sector aimed at the sector sustainability and the country’s economy.