Multi-criteria evaluation to select sites for ecotourism facilities: a case study Miankaleh Peninsula

To select sites for ecotourism facilities in Miankaleh Peninsula, the study used multi-criteria evaluation (MCE). In the Peninsula, ecotourism is in its incipient stage of expansion. It is essential to identify, in advance, suitable sites for the facilities as the objective of this research. Thus, three sets of environmental, economic, and geodata criteria were included. MCE helps integrate the conflict goals. We devised some novel methods, in addition to common methods, for assigning weights to 17 criteria. The weights were determined by analytic hierarchy process and then combined thanks to ArcGIS Spatial Analysis. This combination suggested seven sites as the most suitable. The results indicate that these sites qualify the included conditions.