Assessment of the sustainability of Cuban nature-based tourism destinations with the DEA approach under different weighting schemes

Data Envelopment Analysis is among the most frequently used methods to create composite indices in sustainability measurement. The present study aims to contribute toward the use of this methodology thanks to its ability either to seek an individual weighting scheme for each destination or to use a common set of weights for all the alternatives. The first alternative is similar to the CCR model, while the other is comprised of two parts: one that maximizes the total efficiency of the units and the other that minimizes the minimum efficiency. The study was conducted in Cuba using both parts, objective and subjective indicators attained from the regional proposal known as the Caribbean Zone of Sustainable Tourism. The results demonstrate the reliability of the selected indicators to measure tourism sustainability, the feasibility of the proposal for being combined with other approaches in supporting the decision-making process, and the great explanatory power of the outcomes.