Exploring the decision model for tourism symbiosis of ancient villages and towns based on tourist reviews: A case study of Huaihua City in China

Abstract To ensure the sustainable development of regional tourism, it is essential to differentiate between adjacent tourist attractions in a state of homogeneous competition. This study proposes a decision model for the tourism symbiosis of ancient villages and towns (AVTs) using tourist reviews. Their co‐occurrence and individual characteristics were extracted through content analysis, and a probabilistic linguistic CODAS method with a newly defined distance was employed for sentiment analysis. Four clustered AVTs located in Huaihua City, China, were selected to validate the decision model. The results indicate that a long history and culture, ethnic customs, and a serene atmosphere comprise co‐occurrence characteristics, while material landscape, spiritual culture, emotional cognition, and tourism services comprise individual characteristics. The corresponding tourism symbiotic development schemes, including cultural construction, life experience, and pastoral entertainment, are proposed based on the advantages and potentials perceived by tourists. The decision model could contribute to sustainable development of rural areas.