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Urban Marketability Index (UMI) Design: A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach Using AHP-TOPSIS for the Case of Kahramanmaraş
Abstract
This study uses the Urban Marketability Index (UMI) as a methodological framework to evaluate the competitive position of the city of Kahramanmaraş (Turkey). Economic, socio-cultural, infrastructure and tourism criteria are positioned according to the ideal solution and integrated into a holistic marketability index through the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and TOPSIS methods. The methodology includes the weighting of each sub-criteria and the evaluation of the effectiveness through expert opinions based on the survey data. The results show that the most effective factors of Kahramanmaraş's competitiveness are “Cultural heritage and tourist attraction” (weight: 0.282) and “Transportation and accessibility" (weight: 0.214). the final UMI rating equal to 0.713 (on a scale of 0-1) shows that although Kahramanmaraş has a high tourist and gastronomic attractiveness, improving the international advertising and logistics infrastructure can significantly increase its competitiveness.
Keywords
Supporting Institution
Any external funding or organizational support received for the study should be detailed here. If no external funding was received for the study, it can be stated as follows: "No external funding was received for this research.
Ethical Statement
Ethics approval is not required for this study.
Thanks
The authors do not want to thank any person or institution.
References
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- Behzadian, M., Otaghsara, S. K., Yazdani, M., & Ignatius, J. (2012). A state-of-the-art survey of TOPSIS applications. Expert Systems with Applications, 39(17), 13051–13069. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2012.05.056
- Bessière, J. (1998). Local development and heritage: Traditional food and cuisine as tourist attractions in rural areas. Sociologia Ruralis, 38(1), 21–34. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9523.00061
- Boisen, M., Terlouw, K., Groote, P., & Couwenberg, O. (2018). Reframing place promotion, place marketing, and place branding—moving beyond conceptual confusion. Cities, 80, 4–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2017.08.021
Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Marketing Research Methodology
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
April 29, 2026
Submission Date
September 20, 2025
Acceptance Date
April 7, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 6 Number: 1
APA
Büyükbaş, Ö., & Ayyıldız, H. (2026). Urban Marketability Index (UMI) Design: A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach Using AHP-TOPSIS for the Case of Kahramanmaraş. İşletme Bilimi Ve Uygulamaları Dergisi, 6(1), 22-36. https://izlik.org/JA95AX42WA
AMA
1.Büyükbaş Ö, Ayyıldız H. Urban Marketability Index (UMI) Design: A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach Using AHP-TOPSIS for the Case of Kahramanmaraş. İşletme Bilimi ve Uygulamaları Dergisi. 2026;6(1):22-36. https://izlik.org/JA95AX42WA
Chicago
Büyükbaş, Ömer, and Hamdi Ayyıldız. 2026. “Urban Marketability Index (UMI) Design: A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach Using AHP-TOPSIS for the Case of Kahramanmaraş”. İşletme Bilimi Ve Uygulamaları Dergisi 6 (1): 22-36. https://izlik.org/JA95AX42WA.
EndNote
Büyükbaş Ö, Ayyıldız H (April 1, 2026) Urban Marketability Index (UMI) Design: A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach Using AHP-TOPSIS for the Case of Kahramanmaraş. İşletme Bilimi ve Uygulamaları Dergisi 6 1 22–36.
IEEE
[1]Ö. Büyükbaş and H. Ayyıldız, “Urban Marketability Index (UMI) Design: A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach Using AHP-TOPSIS for the Case of Kahramanmaraş”, İşletme Bilimi ve Uygulamaları Dergisi, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 22–36, Apr. 2026, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA95AX42WA
ISNAD
Büyükbaş, Ömer - Ayyıldız, Hamdi. “Urban Marketability Index (UMI) Design: A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach Using AHP-TOPSIS for the Case of Kahramanmaraş”. İşletme Bilimi ve Uygulamaları Dergisi 6/1 (April 1, 2026): 22-36. https://izlik.org/JA95AX42WA.
JAMA
1.Büyükbaş Ö, Ayyıldız H. Urban Marketability Index (UMI) Design: A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach Using AHP-TOPSIS for the Case of Kahramanmaraş. İşletme Bilimi ve Uygulamaları Dergisi. 2026;6:22–36.
MLA
Büyükbaş, Ömer, and Hamdi Ayyıldız. “Urban Marketability Index (UMI) Design: A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach Using AHP-TOPSIS for the Case of Kahramanmaraş”. İşletme Bilimi Ve Uygulamaları Dergisi, vol. 6, no. 1, Apr. 2026, pp. 22-36, https://izlik.org/JA95AX42WA.
Vancouver
1.Ömer Büyükbaş, Hamdi Ayyıldız. Urban Marketability Index (UMI) Design: A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach Using AHP-TOPSIS for the Case of Kahramanmaraş. İşletme Bilimi ve Uygulamaları Dergisi [Internet]. 2026 Apr. 1;6(1):22-36. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA95AX42WA