Influencing Factors of Azerbaijan and China’s Sustainable Tourism Development Strategy under the One Belt One Road Initiative

Abstract

After the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was put forward, the tourism industry between Azerbaijan and China developed rapidly, and gradually became an important area of cooperation between the two countries to promote economic cooperation, non-governmental exchange, and cultural exchange. However, there is currently a lack of research on the development strategy of tourism cooperation between the two countries under the BRI. This paper aims to explore the development strategy of sustainable tourism cooperation between Azerbaijan and China under BRI through a hybrid model of SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) and AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process). The factor elements of the SWOT matrix introduce ambiguity due to the complex layering of elemental importance. Therefore, the AHP method was used to systematically evaluate the importance of strategic factors and reduce the subjective bias caused by the SWOT analysis method. By constructing the Delphi-AHP-SWOT strategic quadrilateral and calculating the azimuth of the strategy type, the type and intensity map of the tourism cooperation development strategy between Azerbaijan and China under the BRI is drawn. Finally, it is concluded that the development strategy of tourism cooperation between Azerbaijan and China is a pioneering development strategy. Suggestions are given for future development. This paper provides a valuable experience for the sustainable development of tourism cooperation among countries under the BRI.