20.500.12556/RUL-182130 Identification and prioritization of factors influencing the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in coastal sports tourism The present article aimed at identifying and prioritizing the factors influencing the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in coastal sports tourism on Kish Island. This applied research adopted a descriptive– analytical approach to data collection. The statistical population comprised fifteen experts in sports management, executive managers, and entrepreneurs active in coastal sports tourism, selected through purposive sampling. In the first phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts, and a thematic analysis approach based on Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-step framework was employed to identify the key factors affecting SME development. In the second phase, the identified factors were ranked and prioritized using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Saaty’s (1980) pairwise comparison matrix. The findings revealed five main factors and seventeen subcategories. The economic and financial dimension ranked first, followed by multi-level governance and cross-sectoral synergy, marketing and value chain, risk, safety and resilience, and finally, environmental aspects. As the first specialized study focusing on the development of SMEs in coastal sports tourism, this research proposes a strategic framework for creating a dynamic environment that fosters employment generation and entrepreneurial growth. Senior managers and policymakers on Kish Island can enhance the development and sustainability of such enterprises by emphasizing foreign investment attraction, legal transparency, financial incentives, cross-sectoral collaboration, risk management, resilience, and environmental considerations. sports maritime tourism sustainable development SMEs analytic hierarchy process (AHP) coastal sports tourism Kish Island small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) value chain true false false Neznan jezik Angleški jezik Članek v reviji 2026-04-24 14:00:34 2026-05-04 08:53:59 2026-05-05 04:44:14 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 Str. 203-234 iss. 15 Vol. 6 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 338.48 3060-8473 10.22054/QRSM.2025.88704.264 269760003 QRSM203301766349000.pdf QRSM203301766349000.pdf 1 114ED7FA2C3326D1127B73651B39F13B 2358490123d5d3459a577a2042071149ffb348afa08d504d14c74bd328e48c20 3276d304-3fd5-11f1-b0ab-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=233103 https://qrsm.atu.ac.ir/article_20330.html?lang=en 0 37cba345-3fd5-11f1-b0ab-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=233104 Ekonomska fakulteta 0 0 0