High‐Accuracy Flood Susceptibility Mapping and Risk Assessment in a Touristic Sub‐Basin: Utilizing Analytic Hierarchy Process With the Most Effective Factors

ABSTRACT This study aimed to map flood susceptible areas and assess potential impacts at the sub‐basin scale in a densely populated touristic region. For this purpose, seven flood conditioning factors were selected: slope, land use/land cover, elevation, rainfall, distance from river, soil, and drainage density. Geographic information system‐based analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to map flood susceptibility. To validate the flood susceptibility map, a flood inventory map derived from satellite‐based remotely sensed imagery (both optical and synthetic aperture radar) was used, and the validation showed a high accuracy of 93.2%. It was found that urban and agricultural areas are the most susceptible to flooding, and most of the hotels and historical/tourist attractions in the region are at risk. The findings highlight that AHP with widely used factors yields reliable results even in data‐scarce regions. This approach can assist decision‐makers in developing appropriate flood risk management strategies.