Assessing Vietnam's sustainable agritourism by integrated multi-criteria decision-making approach

Abstract

Agritourism has emerged as a contemporary tourism alternative in the post-COVID-19 era, adapting to the need to connect with nature while promoting a sustainable tourism model. As nations increasingly recognize agritourism's potential, efforts to create suitable locations strategically are becoming a focal point in the tourism industry's evolution towards more sustainable and enriching experiences. The study aims to select the most appropriate destination for sustainable agritourism development in Vietnam using the integrated Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model, Best-Worst method (BWM), and spherical fuzzy Combined compromise solution (SF-CoCoSo) methods. To begin, the DEA model is employed to sift through potential locations. Subsequently, the BWM technique is utilized to establish the significance of the evaluation criteria, while the SF-CoCoSo technique determines the priority of destinations. The result shows that, among the twelve criteria, agricultural product potential (SC1) secures the top rank. After filtering out the five appropriate destinations, LamDong (DMU8) is the best location, promising prospects for promoting sustainable tourism, elevating agricultural value, and bolstering the rural economy. By combining these methodologies, the study seeks to give a thorough and accurate assessment of the sustainability of agritourism locations, enabling policymakers, managers, and investors to make informed decisions about agritourism development. These findings can apply to similar tourism types in the same context or other rural areas in decision-making. Further research on assessing criteria is required to comprehensively cover aspects of sustainable development.