Multi-objective optimization technique: A novel approach in tourism sustainability planning

Strategic management of complex decisional problems in the tourism sector requires the implementation of proper planning procedures for sustainable tourism activities, due to either the number of actors involved, the presence of conflicting goals and the need of resource rationalization. Thus, the aim of the research is to implement a new approach for the selection of projects to be funded by public administration, in order to maximize the efficiency of public resource allocation. Furthermore, the proposed technique enhances the inclusion of the three dimensions of sustainability in tourism policy planning and implementation phases. The Multi-objective Optimization model accounts for environmental, social and economic impacts, to select tourism activities to be realized in order to maximize stakeholder utility. In order to test the model, we selected a case study: a call for tender drafted by an Italian Public administration, whose aim was to support the attractiveness of the urban areas. Findings illustrate that, in comparison with multicriteria techniques, the proposed model allows to achieve a better allocation of public funds, in both quantitative (i.e., amount of resources allocated) and qualitative (selection of projects with positive social and environmental implication) terms.