Sustainability measurement with a non-compensatory approach in Cuban nature-based tourism

Abstract

This paper aims to assess the sustainability of tourism destinations. To this end, various methodologies have been considered, among which composite indicators constitutes a valuable tool. A non-compensatory methodology has been applied in order to address the problem caused by the compensation of low values in certain indicators of a particular destination with high scores in other aspects. The proposed methodology provides a clear ranking of units and permits a post-optimization analysis for the design of strategies with a view to the improvement of the relative position regarding the sustainability of a destination. It is applied in an island context, for which tourism represents its main economic activity and, therefore, its dependence on natural, social, economic, and cultural resources, among others, for its development. The analysis demonstrates the possibility associated with each destination to improve its position, acting in just a single indicator while maintaining major values in the remaining indicators, this being a more restrictive methodology in sustainability assessment. The originality is the methodology being supported by the combination of the non-compensatory approach with participative methods to include the considerations of the stakeholders throughout the weights in a regional initiative in the Caribbean Zone of Sustainable Tourism. The findings reveal that the economic aspects receive more importance than those in the Cuban context that are social and patrimonial. The method can be applied to other destinations and regions, allowing the inclusion of external and reducing the absence of incomparability issues in ranking destinations supporting managerial decisions.