Abstract
As society has developed, fishing villages that have relied solely on traditional fishing have found themselves on the verge of extinction. Therefore, efforts are being made to transform fishing villages into areas with various functions including recreation, tourism, and education. In this regard, the main purpose of this study is to analyze the relative importance and priorities of the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) process used in the revitalization of fishing village tourism. To this end, the A’WOT (AHP/SWOT) hybrid approach, developed in combination with the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis and the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) method, was used to determine the significant factors. The results of the study demonstrated that the ‘opportunities’ and ‘strengths’ areas are relatively important when it comes to the priority of sustainable development. We also identified the high importance in terms of global weight of both ‘Increased demand for leisure, rest and ecotourism’ and ‘Possession of natural resources of diverse and distinctive fishing villages by sea and region’ as sustainable ways to revitalize fishing communities. This study demonstrates that with appropriate data and an applicable systematic process, the A’WOT approach can adequately show where intervention is most needed. The study shows that the application of tourism in the current context has the potential to approach the issue of fishing village tourism. Furthermore, this study is meaningful in that it quantifies the importance of fishing village tourism attributes by using a systematic approach, and it concludes with suggesting where the emphasis should be placed on policy and strategy.
Highlights
Introduction iationsFishing villages and oceans offer various resources and include excellent natural environments and unique cultures that can make such villages attractive spaces to meet the health, culture, and environmental needs of individuals [1,2]
Most coastal communities, which rely on fishing as a primary industry, are seeking various solutions to the environmental changes occurring as a result of the fishing crisis, integration with global markets, and climate change [6,7]
The biggest difference from the existing studies is that the existing studies take relatively macro and conceptual approaches to fishing village research, while this study practically demonstrates the level of the importance of the attributes of fishing village tourism through quantification, and it presents policies and strategies based on these findings
Summary
Introduction iationsFishing villages and oceans offer various resources and include excellent natural environments and unique cultures that can make such villages attractive spaces to meet the health, culture, and environmental needs of individuals [1,2]. As society has developed and the environment has changed, the catch, which is the major source of income in fishing villages, has declined significantly worldwide, making it difficult to address regional economic issues [3]. Fishing villages that have lost their ability to survive are gradually facing extinction, and there are real problems linked to the survival of fishing communities [4,5]. Most coastal communities, which rely on fishing as a primary industry, are seeking various solutions to the environmental changes occurring as a result of the fishing crisis, integration with global markets, and climate change [6,7]. In a similar manner to fishing villages, are incorporating tourism in regional development.
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