When “More” Is “Too Much”—A Study on Tourists’ Perception Regarding Beach Restoration in Mamaia on the Romanian Black Sea Coast

Coastal erosion affects all coastal areas with different intensities, and its effects may be severe. This is the case of the Black Sea sandy beaches on the Romanian coast, where the beaches have been used for tourism since the mid-19th century. In 2012, a project was launched to reduce erosion and protect the Romanian Black Sea coast from its destructive effects. By the 2021 tourist season, the completed works in Mamaia resort resulted in beaches exceeding, in some cases, 300 m in width. However, while these efforts successfully curtailed erosion, they also brought unintended consequences. The imported coarse sand and increased seawater depth canceled the resort’s traditional advantages, raising concerns among both tourists and local stakeholders. The purpose of our article was twofold—to present the case of the Mamaia resort and the expansion works conducted and to present the results of an exploratory study highlighting the tourists’ perceptions regarding the beach extensions, as well as their motivations, preferences, and expectations for the development of a modern beach. Our results suggest that while the beach extension works were necessary and long-awaited, they inadvertently caused dissatisfaction among tourists, leading to shifts in tourist flows and financial losses for local tourism operators. Data visualization techniques were employed to explore the complex relationships between tourist satisfaction with the extension works (in both 2021 and 2022) and factors influencing their comfort and overall experience. Additionally, the extraction of millions of cubic meters of sediment for the extensions disrupted marine habitats, raising ecological concerns. Future coastal protection efforts should balance erosion mitigation, ecological sustainability, and tourism needs by adopting environmentally sensitive methods, preserving marine ecosystems, and engaging stakeholders to align projects with tourists’ expectations, thus ensuring the long-term viability of popular tourist destinations like Mamaia.