Application of MCDM methods to tourism evaluation of cultural sites

Abstract

This paper explores the usage of two specific multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods—Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) method and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS)—in the tourism field, where their usage is practically non-existent. Multi-criteria analysis methods use objective or subjective criteria to rank different variables of interest, the purpose of ranking being to facilitate different strategic decision-making and problem-solving processes. By using these methods, the paper assesses the attractiveness of six cultural heritage sites in Porto, Portugal, namely some of the city’s architectural masterpieces, and ranks them based on the following set of criteria: (i) historic value; (ii) aesthetic/artistic value; (iii) representativeness; (iv) state of preservation; (v) infrastructure and accessibility and (vi) social significance. The purpose of the study is to understand different levels of attractiveness of cultural sites and to discuss the possible reasons why ones are given higher importance than the others. The two methods give almost identical outcomes, showing parity between their usages and affirming the integrity of the results.