Evaluation model of competitive and innovative tourism practices based on information entropy and alternative criteria weight

Abstract

An evaluation model of competitive and innovative tourism practices in Portugal based on information entropy is proposed. The relative evolution of each criterion/construct is explored in the light of its predictability/randomness in Portuguese companies by calculating and analysing the information entropy of different perceptions on competitive and innovative tourism practices. This article presents a novel approach by using information entropy to handle probabilistically different competitive and innovative practice weights computed by alternative models such as (a) the Fuzzy Rasch model that combines the item response theory and the fuzzy set theory, (b) the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model and (c) the crisp AHP model based on eight different judgment scales on the relative evolution of each criterion/construct. The results show that the total information entropy suggests a strong heterogeneity in Portuguese companies in terms of innovation for competitiveness. They also reveal a significant relationship between innovative tourism practices and tourism competitiveness models.