An integrated AHP and PROMETHEE approach to the evaluation of the attractiveness of European maritime areas for sailing tourism

As a subject of scientific investigation, evaluations of the attractiveness of tourist destinations have had a relatively long history, particularly among geographers and regional economists. Based on mathematical and psychological principles and using methods that combine the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE) approach, this research project constructs an evaluation structure used for the assessment of European coastal and offshore areas for sailing tourism. A case study with a three-level evaluation structure has been defined and tested. It contains: at the top of the hierarchy an overall objective defined as the attractiveness of the European coastal and offshore areas for sailing tourism; six criteria of evaluation (on the second level); and ten coastal areas (at the bottom level). This structure covers almost all the coasts around Europe, as they were the subjects of evaluation and comparison. The evaluation was carried out by a group of experts who made the assessment taking into account previously determined criteria with weights. The findings indicate that the AHP-PROMETHEE method may be a useful tool to evaluate the attractiveness of different destinations. It can be also used for practical purposes, particularly to determine strengths and weaknesses, as well as the competitive position, of given coastal areas in relation to others.