Determination of winter tourism potential areas in Türkiye using a GIS-based multi-criteria analysis

Abstract

Tourism, one of the expeditiously growing and most important sectors, contributes to the national economy by increasing employment and foreign exchange income. As in many countries, the place of tourism in the country's economy is very important in T?rkiye (formerly known as Turkey). As one of the sources that have contributed significantly to the country's economy for many years, it has played a locomotive role in its development. T?rkiye is trying to increase its share of international tourism revenues with investments and incentives. Although it is a country that draws attention with its areas suitable for winter tourism, the development of winter tourism centers is very slow when some aspects are taken into account. Konya Province is one of the few religious and cultural tourism centers of T?rkiye. The region has qualified winter tourism areas. Bringing these areas to tourism can be an important resource for both the provincial and national economy. This study proposes a Geographical Information System based Multi Criteria Evaluation (MCE) model using Best Worst Method (BWM) to identify the most suitable locations for winter tourism facilities in the Konya region of T?rkiye. Among some suitable areas determined according to the results of the analysis, Alada? Mountain in Derbent region has been seen as the most suitable place for winter tourism investments, as it has all the features such as snow quality, transportation, and snowy day duration that should exist in a winter tourism center.