Turistik Destinasyonların Çevresel Sürdürülebilirliği: Dünyanın En Çok Ziyaret Edilen 20 Ülkesi Üzerine CRITIC–TOPSIS Tabanlı Bir Analiz

Öz

Bu çalışma, dünya genelinde en fazla turist ağırlayan 20 ülkenin çevresel sürdürülebilirlik performanslarını karşılaştırmalı olarak analiz etmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu doğrultuda, ülkelerin çevresel performanslarını çok boyutlu ve veri temelli biçimde değerlendiren Çevresel Performans Endeksi (EPI) 2024 verileri temel alınmış; analiz sürecinde CRITIC–TOPSIS bütünleşik çok kriterli karar verme yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Çalışmada, turizmle doğrudan ilişkili olduğu değerlendirilen çevresel sağlık, ekosistem canlılığı ve iklim değişikliği boyutlarından türetilen altı gösterge analize dâhil edilmiştir. CRITIC yöntemiyle elde edilen sonuçlar, kriterler arasında en yüksek ağırlığın “ormanlar” göstergesine ait olduğunu (Wj = 0,340) ortaya koymakta; bu bulgu, orman varlıklarının destinasyonların çevresel sürdürülebilirliğini ayrıştırmada kritik bir rol oynadığını göstermektedir. TOPSIS analizine göre Japonya, Hollanda ve Fransa ideal çözüme en yakın ülkeler olarak öncü bir konumda yer alırken; orman kayıpları, yönetişim zafiyetleri ve yapısal çevresel sorunlarla karşı karşıya olan Portekiz, Meksika ve Fas en düşük performansı sergilemiştir. Bulgular, çevresel sürdürülebilirliğin yalnızca ekonomik gelişmişlik düzeyiyle açıklanamayacağını; yönetişim kalitesi, kurumsal kapasite ve bütüncül ekosistem koruma stratejilerinin belirleyici olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Sonuç olarak çalışma, çevresel kalitenin turizm talebinin sürdürülebilirliği ve destinasyonların uzun vadeli rekabet gücü açısından temel bir unsur olduğunu vurgulayarak politika yapıcılar ve destinasyon yöneticileri için stratejik çıkarımlar sunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Çevresel Sürdürülebilirlik
• Sürdürülebilir Turizm
• EPI 2024
• Turizm Destinasyonları
• CRITIC-TOPSIS.

Environmental Sustainability Performance of Tourist Destinations: A CRITIC–TOPSIS Analysis of the World’s Top 20 Tourist-Receiving Countries

Öz

This study aims to comparatively analyse the environmental sustainability performance of the 20 countries that host the most tourists worldwide. To this end, the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) 2024 data, which evaluates countries' environmental performance in a multidimensional and data-driven manner, was used as a basis; the Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC)–Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) integrated multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method was employed in the analysis process. The study included six indicators derived from the dimensions of environmental health, ecosystem vitality, and climate change, which are considered to be directly related to tourism. The results obtained using the CRITIC method reveal that the highest weight among the criteria belongs to the “forests” indicator (Wj = 0.340); this finding shows that forest resources play a critical role in distinguishing the environmental sustainability of destinations. According to the TOPSIS analysis, Japan, the Netherlands and France are in a leading position as the countries closest to the ideal solution, while Portugal, Mexico and Morocco, which face forest loss, governance weaknesses and structural environmental problems, have performed the worst. The findings reveal that environmental sustainability cannot be explained solely by the level of economic development; governance quality, institutional capacity, and comprehensive ecosystem conservation strategies are decisive factors. Consequently, the study emphasises that environmental quality is a fundamental element for the sustainability of tourism demand and the long-term competitiveness of destinations, offering strategic insights for policymakers and destination managers.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Environmental Sustainability
• Sustainable Tourism
• EPI 2024
• Tourism Destinations
• CRITIC-TOPSIS.

Kaynakça

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