Evaluating the ecological environmental quality of rural tourism using the analytical hierarchy process

The fast rise of rural tourism in China has necessitated an assessment of the ecological circumstances in rural areas. But because rural landscapes are complicated and there are many different characteristics to consider, this can be challenging. With an emphasis on Pingchang County, Bazhong City, Sichuan Province, in particular, this study aims to provide a technique for the comprehensive assessment of the ecological environment quality in rural tourism zones. Analyzing the variables influencing these tourist destinations' ecological environments is one of the multiple-criterion decision-making procedures known as the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The fuzzy synthesis method was used after the hierarchical model was constructed and weight calculations were completed. To complete the assessment, a judgment matrix was created, and the weights of each indicator were determined. The assessment was then carried out through detailed review and consistency testing. The proposed approach works well for managing complex decision-making circumstances, including multiple criteria, and agreeing with professional opinions. The results of this study show consistent criteria ranking, high stability across iterations, minimal sensitivity to changes in criteria, and strong alignment with expert judgments. The results obtained using the proposed AHP method were numerically consistent, with a consistency ratio (CR) of 0.08, meaning that the criteria ranking remained constant across the iterations. In addition, the approach demonstrated a 0.95 alignment score with expert opinions, confirming its strength and reliability in providing evaluations in accordance with professional insights to direct rural tourism development plans.