COASTAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT: ANALYZING LAND COVER CHANGES IN EUROPEAN SEASIDE DESTINATIONS DURING 1990-2018
Abstract
Coastal areas have progressively emerged as centers of tourism and economic development, leading to significant land cover transformations. This paper examines the dynamic interplay between tourism development and environmental sustainability within coastal regions, spotlighting three European seaside resorts: Eforie Sud, Romania; Torremolinos, Spain; and La Grande-Motte, France. Through a comparative case study approach, the research delves into the strategies employed by these destinations to manage tourism growth, with a focus on implementing spatial planning principles and sustainable practices. By analyzing spatial data on land use changes from 1990 to 2018, the study quantitatively assesses the extent of urbanization and its environmental impacts, offering insights into the transformation of coastal landscapes in response to tourism development. The study underscores the importance of sustainable tourism development as a means to balance economic objectives with the preservation of natural and cultural assets. It concludes with recommendations for strategic planning, conservation initiatives, and community engagement to ensure the long-term viability of coastal tourism destinations. This research contributes to the discourse on sustainable tourism, advocating for policies and practices that harmonize development with environmental stewardship and socio-economic benefits.
Keywords
References
Ahmed, N. (2023). Residents support towards cultural heritage tourism: the relevance of heritage proximity and tourism perceived impacts. Revista de turism-studii si cercetari in turism, (35).
Baidal, J. A. I. (2001). La planificación turística de los espacios regionales en España (Doctoral dissertation, Universitat d'Alacant-Universidad de Alicante).
Becker, E. (2016). Overbooked: The exploding business of travel and tourism. Simon and Schuster.
Bramwell, B. (Ed.). (2004). Coastal mass tourism: Diversification and sustainable development in Southern Europe (Vol. 12). Channel View Publications.
Briciu, A. E. (2023). A graphic review of studies on coastal tourism and bathing water quality. Revista de turism-studii si cercetari in turism, (36).
Candia, S., Pirlone, F., & Spadaro, I. (2018). Sustainable development and the plan for tourism in Mediterranean coastal areas: Case study of the region of Liguria, Italy. WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, 217, 523-534.
Coccossis, H., & Koutsopoulou, A. (2020). Measuring and monitoring sustainability of coastal tourism destinations in the Mediterranean. Tourism: An International Interdisciplinary Journal, 68(4), 482-498.
Cocean P., David Nicoleta (2012), Territorial Cohesion – Major Desideratum of Spatial Planning, Revue Roumaine de Geographie/Romanian Journal of Geography, 56 (2), 97-104, Bucureşti.
Conti, G., & Perelli, C. (2005). Traditional mass tourism destinations: The decline of Fordist tourism facing the rise of vocational diversification. Gov. Sustain. New Tour. Trends Planum, 11, 1-20.
Cristea, N., & Tanase, G. (2014). The Coordinates of Local and Central Policy to Develop the Romanian Seaside Terminal Between 1878-1941. Year-Book „Petre Andrei” University from Iasi, Fascicle: Law, Economic Sciences, Political Sciences, (14), 215-244.
EC-European Commission. (2014). A European strategy for more growth and jobs in coastal and maritime tourism.
European Environment Agency — Corine Land Cover (CLC) 1990
European Environment Agency — Corine Land Cover (CLC) 2018
Paunescu, C. (2011). Periplu prin istoria hotelului şi turismului. EIRP Proceedings, 3.
Pearce, D. G. (1978). Form and function in French resorts. Annals of Tourism Research, 5(1), 142-156.
Piñeira Mantiñán, M. J., & Santos Solla, X. M. (2010). Impact of tourism on coastal towns: from improvisation to planification. The Open Urban Studies Journal, 3(1).
Rebollo, J. F. V., & Baidal, J. A. I. (2003). Measuring sustainability in a mass tourist destination: pressures, perceptions and policy responses in Torrevieja, Spain. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 11(2-3), 181-203.
Rieucau, J. (2000, November). La Grande-Motte, Ville permanente, ville saisonnière/La Grande-Motte, a town for all seasons and summertime resort. In Annales de géographie (pp. 631-654). Armand Colin.
Sánchez-Sánchez, F. J., & Sánchez-Sánchez, A. M. (2022). Evaluating the efficiency and determinants of mass tourism in Spain: a tourist area perspective. Portuguese Economic Journal, 1-35.
Simon, T., Mazilu, M. E., Andrei, M. T., Severineanu, R. C., & Dumitrascu, C. (2010). Aspects of the tourist development on the Romanian Black Sea coastline. CUHT2010, Corfu, Greece, 65-70.
Tănase, G. (2014). Aspecte ale turismului la Eforie Nord şi Eforie Sud (1878-1941). ISTRO - PONTICA no. 2.
Vera-Rebollo, F., & Rodriguez-Sanchez, I. (2010). Tourism strategies for the renovation of mature coastal tourist destinations in Spain. WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, 139, 21-33.
World Tourism Organization (2013), Sustainable Tourism for Development Guidebook - Enhancing capacities for Sustainable Tourism for development in developing countries, UNWTO, Madrid, DOI: https://doi.org/10.18111/9789284415496, (accessed on February 2024)
Zahedi, S. (2008). Tourism impact on coastal environment. WIT Transactions on The Built Environment, 99, 45-57.
6th Conference of the Council of Europe of Ministers Responsible for Spatial Planning (CEMAT), Prospects of development and of spatial planning in maritime regions, 19-20 MAY 1983. https://www.coe.int/en/web/conference-ministers-spatial-planning/6th-cemat, (accessed on February 2024)
![Creative Commons License](http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/3.0/80x15.png)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.