Application of AHP and geospatial technologies to assess ecotourism suitability: A case study of Saint Martin's Island in Bangladesh

The study uses the Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify and assess the potentially eco-friendly, sustainable tourist locations on Saint Martin's Island, Bangladesh. Key informant interview (KII) and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) have been used to establish a resource inventory and to set a number of sustainable tourism requirements. The suitability map for eco-friendly sustainable tourism was subsequently developed, based on the respective weights deriving from the linear combination of criteria and factors. From the analysis report, it was revealed that the areas of suitable, moderately suitable, less suitable and not suitable were 30%, 32%, 10% and 28% respectively. In this study, attempts were made to specify the degree of ecotourism suitability in the investigated area. The outcome might be useful for the development of resilient policy to design ecotourism. Similarly, this analysis can be used as a guideline for assessing eco-friendly sustainable tourism in other regions. It may also act as a point of departure for potentially more nuanced research.