Research note: An evaluation of potential locations for the Bears Ears National Monument cultural center

Abstract

Well-planned cultural tourism assets can serve as anchor destinations through which visitors experience and appreciate the cultures, histories, and landscapes of an area; these assets also hold the potential to bolster the regional economy. In this study, we developed a distance-based multi-criteria decision-making model to evaluate the optimal siting for cultural tourism assets. The model incorporates, and allows for the variable weighting of cultural, economic, and environmental characteristics in determining optimal siting locations. As a case study, we utilize the model to evaluate potential locations for the Bears Ears National Monument cultural center in southeastern Utah. Our analysis showed markedly different optimal siting locations depending upon whether cultural, economic, or environmental considerations are given priority. The multi-criteria decision-making model developed here can be adopted and modified to inform the siting decisions of local, state, and federal cultural resource managers. Additionally, the findings from our case study application can be used to stimulate the on-going discussions between the tribal coalition and land management agencies working to shape the future of Bears Ears National Monument.