Identifying Sustainable Tourism Indicators of Urban Destinations in Developing Countries Using DEMATEL-ISM

Tourism is one of the most important economic sectors, necessitating the implementation of various policies to promote sustainable tourism on both local and national scales. This study aims to identify and provide a framework for sustainable tourism development indicators in Kerman, Iran. After reviewing prior studies and semi-structured interviews with 20 tourism professionals, 15 sustainable tourism development indicators were identified and weighed using the Delphi technique. Interpretive-structural modeling was used to analyze interactions between system elements. The findings indicated that tourism operators, stakeholders and tourism-induced activities, poverty alleviation, and land resources are the most influential factors in developing sustainable tourism. These factors are directly associated with the investment and competitiveness of sustainable tourism in Kerman. This study is the first to present a model of sustainable tourism development and related indicators for tourism development in urban destinations in Iran.