Application of TOPSIS-LP and New Routing Models for the Multi-Criteria Tourist Route Problem: The Case Study of Nong Khai, Thailand

Abstract

This study investigates the application of a new mathematical routing model, integrated with the TOPSIS Linear Programming (TOPSIS-LP) approach, to optimize tourist routes in Nong Khai, Thailand, within a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) framework. The research demonstrates the efficacy of TOPSIS-LP by consistently ranking the same alternative as the optimal route, achieving the highest rankings across various Multi-Attribute Decision Making (MADM) methods, including MOORA, WASPAS, and ARAS. These methods displayed significant consistency in outcome evaluation, with Spearman Correlation Coefficients (SCC) of 0.952 for MOORA WASPAS, and ARAS, indicating the influence of diverse weighting and aggregation strategies in route optimization. Moreover, the study confirmed a perfect alignment (SCC of 1.00) between TOPSIS-LP and the traditional TOPSIS method, affirming that the enhancements to the LP components maintained the integrity of the original model. The findings provide invaluable insights for tourism planners aiming to improve tourist satisfaction and operational efficiency and contribute to the academic discourse by highlighting the practical utility of sophisticated mathematical models in real-world scenarios. This research not only advances the methodological practices in tourist route optimization, but also sets a benchmark for future research aimed at enhancing the effectiveness, robustness, and adaptability of MADM methods in the tourism sector.