IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i10p7805-d1143401.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Will Climate Change Affect the Attractiveness of Beaches? Beach Users’ Perceptions in Catalonia (NW Mediterranean)

Author

Listed:
  • Briana Bombana

    (SGR Interfase Research Group, Department of Geography, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain)

  • Raquel Santos-Lacueva

    (Fi Group, Recinte Industrial, 08690 Santa Coloma de Cervelló, Spain
    Research Group on Territorial Analysis and Tourism Studies (GRATET), Rovira i Virgili University, 43003 Vila-seca, Spain)

  • Òscar Saladié

    (Department of Geography, Rovira i Virgili University, 43003 Vila-seca, Spain)

Abstract

Considering climate is a key resource for tourism, we investigated beach users’ profiles and their perceptions regarding three acknowledged effects of climate change (CC): temperature changes, reduction in beach area and water restrictions. Chosen as our case study, Catalan beaches are recognized globally as a coastal destination visited by national and international tourists as well as local residents and could, thus, shed light on potential trends. We conducted 867 surveys with users from 18 beaches classified as urban, semi-urban and natural beaches during the summer season. Questions approached three main blocks of information: sociodemographic profiles, characteristics of the stay and mobility, and perceptions regarding potential CC impacts. The results identified differences in profiles and perceptions among users of different types of beaches. Regarding CC effects, temperature changes and beach area reduction appeared to be more limiting and decisive factors than water restrictions in future scenarios, although reductions in drinking water are also less accepted. Foreigners were generally more sensitive to the effects considered, possibly due to their greater flexibility in choosing tourist destinations. Finally, the capacity of this type of approach to highlight key issues and related human behavior in future scenarios is useful for tourism management, especially subsequent adaptation options.

Suggested Citation

  • Briana Bombana & Raquel Santos-Lacueva & Òscar Saladié, 2023. "Will Climate Change Affect the Attractiveness of Beaches? Beach Users’ Perceptions in Catalonia (NW Mediterranean)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-19, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:10:p:7805-:d:1143401
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/10/7805/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/10/7805/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Peña-Alonso, Carolina & Ariza, Eduard & Hernández-Calvento, Luis & Pérez-Chacón, Emma, 2018. "Exploring multi-dimensional recreational quality of beach socio-ecological systems in the Canary Islands (Spain)," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 303-313.
    2. M. Belén Gómez-Martín & Xosé Armesto-López & Bas Amelung, 2016. "Tourism, climate change and the mass media: the representation of the issue in Spain," Current Issues in Tourism, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(2), pages 174-198, January.
    3. Wei-Ching Wang & Chung-Hsien Lin & Wen-Bor Lu & Su-Hsin Lee, 2019. "When destination attractiveness shifts in response to climate change: tourists’ adaptation intention in Taiwan’s Kenting National Park," Current Issues in Tourism, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(5), pages 522-543, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Néstor Marrero-Rodríguez & Javier Dóniz-Páez, 2022. "Coastal Dunes Geomorphosites to Develop the Geotourism in a Volcanic Subtropical Oceanic Island, Tenerife, Spain," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-20, March.
    2. Qiangsheng Hu & Xiaorong He & Hongbing Zhu & Peihong Yang, 2023. "Understanding Residents’ Intention to Adapt to Climate Change in Urban Destinations—A Case Study of Chang-Zhu-Tan Urban Agglomeration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-16, August.
    3. Cabezas-Rabadán, C. & Rodilla, M. & Pardo-Pascual, J.E. & Herrera-Racionero, P., 2019. "Assessing users’ expectations and perceptions on different beach types and the need for diverse management frameworks along the Western Mediterranean," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 219-231.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:10:p:7805-:d:1143401. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.