Integrating AHP-SBE for Evaluating Visitor Satisfaction in Traditional Village Tourism Landscapes

Lie Wang, Ji’an Zhuang and Mo Wang ()
Additional contact information
Lie Wang: Art School, Hunan University of Information Technology, Changsha 410151, China
Ji’an Zhuang: College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Mo Wang: College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 7, 1-17

Abstract: Traditional villages, as repositories of cultural heritage and natural landscapes, have gained increasing prominence in the tourism industry. However, balancing authenticity preservation with visitor satisfaction remains a critical challenge. This study employs a combined Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)–Scenic Beauty Estimation (SBE) approach under the theoretical framework of 4E theory (Entertainment, Education, Aesthetics, and Escapism) to comprehensively evaluate visitor satisfaction in traditional village tourism landscapes. Eight nationally designated tourism-oriented traditional villages in Anhua County, China were selected as case studies. Findings from the AHP analysis reveal that aesthetic and escapism experiences are the most influential dimensions in shaping visitor satisfaction, while entertainment and educational experiences, though secondary, remain integral to a well-rounded tourism framework. The SBE evaluation corroborates these results, highlighting that seasonal characteristics, stress relief, and cultural landscape diversity significantly enhance visitor experiences. Conversely, deficiencies were observed in social interactivity, satisfaction with educational experiences, and fulfillment of aesthetic needs, indicating areas for improvement. A strong positive correlation between AHP and SBE scores (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.867, p < 0.01) underscores the alignment between expert-driven evaluations and visitor perceptions. These insights suggest that integrating expert-based hierarchical analysis with empirical visitor assessments provides a more robust and multidimensional framework for sustainable tourism management. Recommendations include enhancing social interactivity, optimizing educational components, enriching aesthetic experiences, and ensuring the preservation of vernacular landscapes to foster sustainable, experience-driven rural tourism development.

Keywords: traditional village tourism; analytic hierarchy process; scenic beauty estimation; visitor satisfaction; 4E theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/7/3119/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/7/3119/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:7:p:3119-:d:1625815

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().