Evaluation of rural tourism in the area of Brčko District using multi-criterial decision-making methods

Abstract

The aim of the research in the paper is to evaluate the state of rural settlements in Brčko District with regard to the development of rural tourism. Together with the Tourism Department of the Brčko District, five experts from the field of tourism were selected and they evaluated the current state of rural settlements in this part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The evaluations were processed using the fuzzy approach with the SWARA (Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis) multi-criteria decision-making method. Using this method, the weights of the used criteria were determined, representing the degree of development of conditions in rural settlements. The results showed that "rural facilities and services" are the best developed in rural settlements, while the criteria related to feelings and experiences are the least developed. Based on this research, it is possible to implement measures to strengthen certain criteria that have not been adequately developed in order to further improve rural tourism in Brčko District.

Improvement of Rural Tourism in the Area of Bosnia and Herzegovina Using Multi-Criteria Analysis

“…This method is also employed by Puška, et al (2020) in their research, justifying its role in managing rural tourist offerings. Nedeljković, et al (2022a), using the fuzzy SWARA multi-criteria analysis method, recommend measures to strengthen certain criteria in order to further enhance rural tourism in the Brčko District, using it as an example.…”

“…For the development of rural tourism, it is crucial to evaluate the development level of rural settlements based on specific criteria and their assessment (Nedeljković et al, 2022a). Nedeljković et al (2022) argue that due to the importance of these criteria for tourism development, a holistic approach should be applied when evaluating tourism capacities.…”