Tourism Suitability Assessment in Malbazar Block using principal component analysis and analytical hierarchy process

In recent times, tourism has become one of the fastest-growing industries globally. Mall Block is a well-known tourist center within the Dooars region. The area is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas, characterized by lush tea plantations, rivers, forests, and rich biodiversity. This research endeavor aims to employ the Principal Components Analysis and Analytical Hierarchy Process (GIS Technique) to ascertain the potential tourism sites in Mal CD Block, located in the West Bengal region of India. In this analysis, a set of ten variables were considered, including Distance from Tea Garden, Elevation, Slope, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Distance from Road, Distance from River, Relative Relief, Rainfall, Normalized Difference Built-up Index, and Aspect. In the current research, a Tourism Suitability Assessment was carried out by using a mix of multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) and AHP approaches, with the assistance of weighted overlay analysis. To finalize the assessment, it was necessary to calculate the PCA Weight, PCA Eigen Value, and AHP Weight. The tourism suitability of Malbazar Block has been identified using these methods. The results indicated that approximately 17.82% of the study area was not suitable, while 19.76% had very high suitability, primarily located around the tea gardens. This research also supports two hypotheses: that tourism spots are dispersed and that tourism has developed around tea gardens. The findings and methodology used will be valuable for decision-makers and planners in the region. Observations indicate that the majority of tourist centres are dispersed within the tea garden region.