Improving the urban heritage based on a tourism risk assessment using a hybrid fuzzy MADM method: The case study of Tehran's central district

Abstract

A primary reason for the failure of renewal plans for the heritage of urban areas is ignorance of the risk factors of tourism. Urban heritage sites are valuable tourism resources and focus on tourism activities. These sites are affected by risks and negative events. Assessing tourism risks requires an in-depth knowledge of the current situation. Thus, in order to reduce the risk of tourism on urban heritage, it is necessary to assess the risk of tourist destinations. This study assesses the urban heritage of central districts in Tehran with an emphasis on tourism risk as a real case study. This study provides an in-depth review of the dimensions and criteria for evaluating tourism risks from the perspectives of social culture, environment, finance, safety and security. Fourteen criteria developed on the basis of the fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (FDEMATEL) method are adopted for this assessment to construct the fuzzy influential network relation map and find the fuzzy influential weights; this is known as the DEMATEL-based analysis network process (called DANP). The hybrid modified fuzzy VIKOR method is adopted to evaluate and reduce the tourism risk towards for closing the gap zero. Finally, an empirical case of Tehran city illustrates the availability and effectiveness of the proposed methods. The results revealed that safety and security risks have the greatest influence. The remaining dimensions are sociocultural, financial, and environmental risks. According to the model and the results of the risk assessment in tourism, this method is a reasonable solution for the assessment and risk analysis in real-world problems. The proposed method can be a useful tool for managers in tourism and urban planning.