Ranking Protected Areas for Ecotourism by Analytical Hierarchy Process

Developing successful tourism in natural areas demands for an evaluation system for the ecotourism capability of protected areas. In this study, a number of protected areas under jurisdiction of the Department of Environment were evaluated using Analytical Hierarchy Process. The most important criteria influencing ecotourism in protected areas were determined and a hierarchical structure based on these criteria was designed. To determine the weight of each factor, viewpoints of natural environment experts of the Department of Environment were then collected through a questionnaire including a pair-wise comparisons matrix. Each protected area was rated for ecotourism with regard to the hierarchical structure criteria. The developed evaluation system in this study serves as an information bank for tourists, environmental protection authorities, managers and planners of the tourism industry. This evaluation system also provides a basis for involvement of both tourists and experts for ranking the protected areas for ecotourism capabilities.