Decision-Making Framework to Examine the Factors Affecting the Development of Coastal Tourism in Iran

Coastal tourism has the potential to provide economic and employment opportunities in destination countries. This research aimed to evaluate the factors influencing the development of coastal tourism in Iran using a multi-criteria decision-making methods. Therefore, the influential factors in the development of coastal tourism in Iran were identified using literature review, expert opinions, and the fuzzy Delphi method. This research was exploratory in terms of purpose, applied in nature, and employed a survey method for data collection. The research population consisted of experts in the field of coastal tourism in Iran. A judgmental sampling method was used to select the sample. After collecting the data, the importance and weight of each factor were identified by Shannon’s entropy method. Then, using the additive ratio assessment (ARAS) method, factors were evaluated and prioritized. According to the entropy method, the factor "marketing and advertising about tourist attractions in coastal areas" was the most important in the development of coastal tourism in Iran. The results of the ARAS method showed that among the factors affecting the development of coastal tourism in Iran, "security of coastal areas", "creation of employment opportunities and attention to local products and businesses in coastal areas" and "recreational facilities in coastal areas" had the highest priority.