AHP-Based Location Selection for Tourism Facilities In-Depth Analysis with Numerical Data

Abstract

This study aims to identify the most suitable location for a new hotel in Antalya using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), a multi-criteria decision-making method. The main motivation of the study is to demonstrate how AHP can be effectively applied to tourism structure selection problems in the absence of prior architectural studies on the subject. The study hypothesizes that AHP provides a rational and objective approach in hotel location selection, making it an effective tool for determining the most appropriate alternative. Unlike previous studies emphasizing strategic tourism planning, this research focuses on the physical site selection process and illustrates the step-by-step application of AHP. Hotel investments should consider not only current conditions but also long-term development plans. In this context, AHP is applied to assess and rank three alternative locations based on four main criteria obtained from databases. The method involves constructing comparison matrices, calculating criterion weights, and analyzing the consistency ratio to ensure reliability. The analysis results revealed that Side, with a score rate of 38%, was the most suitable hotel location according to the determined criteria, followed by Konyaaltı (32%) and Göynük (30%). It was observed that transportation accessibility favored Konyaaltı, plot size favored Göynük, while environmental quality and proximity to the sea favored Side. The findings indicate that AHP is a useful and reliable tool for hotel location decisions, offering meaningful guidance for both investors and urban planners. The study demonstrates the value of using structured and quantitative methods when planning sustainable and efficient tourism investments. By presenting an approach that can be repeated in similar studies, this research contributes to a better understanding of multi-criteria decision-making in architectural and tourism-focused site selection.