Strategies for the sustainable tourism development of Guanyan cave based on SWOT-AHP analysis

DENG Yadong; LUO Weiqun; CHEN Weihai; MENG Qingxin; TU Chun; ZHANG Tanfeng; LUO Shuwen; PAN Tianwang; SHEN Lina

doi:10.11932/karst20250113

Abstract：Predominantly forming in the Devonian light gray,thick-bedded limestone,Guanyan cave is located in Caoping township,Yanshan district,Guilin.In 1985,Guanyan cave was explored by a joint Sino-British expedition team.After planned and designed in 1992,it was officially opened to the public on October 1,1995.The designed tour path is approximately 2.8 km long and is renowned for its unique three-dimensional cave exploration experience of"sea,land and air".Over nearly three decades since its opening,Guanyan cave has achieved good economic benefits.However,with the construction of cave engineering and the influx of tourists,some of the cave's sedimentary landscapes have gradually turned black and dark,peeled off,and weathered,directly affecting the scientific and aesthetic value of Guanyan cave,thereby weakening its capacity for sustainable tourism development. To investigate the sustainability of tourism development in Guanyan cave,this study employs a perspective of sustainable development strategy and utilizes the SWOT analysis to assess the internal strengths and weaknesses,as well as the external opportunities and threats affecting the sustainable tourism development of Guanyan cave.The study identifies the key factors influencing sustainability and employs the Analytic Hierarchy Process(AHP)to determine the importance of these factors.Furthermore,a strategic model for sustainable development has been established through the SWOT quadrants.Based on the actual tourism conditions of Guanyan cave,targeted strategies and recommendations for sustainable development have been proposed. This study has obtained the following results,(1)According to the analysis of SWOT,the relationship of the related factors is as follow,strengths＞weaknesses＞opportunities＞threats.The biggest strength of sustainable development of Guanyan cave lies in its great popularity of the scenic area,while its biggest weakness is the obvious degradation of landscape.The biggest opportunity of this cave roots in the tourism market while its biggest threat comes from homogeneous tourism competition.(2)Through the four-quadrant coordinate method,the strategic coordinate P(x,y)is determined to be P(0.0749,0.0526),and P is located in the first quadrant.It is concluded that the SO strategic model should be selected for the sustainable tourism development of Guanyan cave.(3)Based on the SWOT analysis,the following strategies for sustainable tourism development of Guanyan cave are proposed:utilizing internal strengths to enhance the tourism image,managing the underground river to restore the unique characteristics of the tourism brand,leveraging policy opportunities to establish demonstration zones for sustainable development,taking advantage of market opportunities to create diversified tourism products,capitalizing on the opportunities presented by the establishment of demonstration zones to build an ecological tourism circle,using the advantages of the cooperations to improve corporate competitiveness,strengthening management and enforcing strict protection,cultivating tourism talent to improve the quality of tourism services,and encouraging local residents to participate the development to enhance their sense of belonging to the scenic area. Based on the actual tourism development of Guanyan cave,the application of the SWOT-AHP method to determine the strategic direction for sustainable development of cave tourism enables the precise formulation of sustainable development countermeasures.This approach holds significant reference to the sustainable tourism development of similar cave projects.