ABSTRACT
Along the coast of Peru, intensive urbanization and tourism development were related to coastal scenery deterioration. This investigation carried out a scenery evaluation of 20 urban beaches from the “Circuito de Playas de la Costa Verde” (CPCV), a key beach corridor in Lima (Peru). For this purpose, the Coastal Scenic Evaluation System (CSES) was applied in three different seasons, using fuzzy logic to reduce observer subjectivity and estimate the Evaluation index (D). A total of 26 parameters were evaluated to estimate the D value during summer 2020, winter 2020, and summer 2021, to determine the temporal variability of the landscape of an urban coastal sector, such as the CPCV. The results show that all evaluated beaches are classified as very unattractive sites (Class V). Additionally, no significant differences were found between seasons but between beaches. Litter and disturbance factors (noise) were the main human parameters that had low and variable scores during assessments and influenced the D index value estimate. This scenery assessment proposes further implementations of new beach management strategies and actions focusing on landscaping and conserving coastal ecosystems. Strengthening monitoring to reduce noise and litter disturbance and promoting environmentally friendly coastal usage are vital aspects that must be implemented.
ABSTRACT
Beach management presents options to apply technological systems that facilitate decision-making as tourist destinations. Therefore, the objective of the article is to analyze the opportunities for the intelligent management of beaches in Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico, from the visitor’s perception, considering the use of technologies in support of social distancing measures, capacity control and ICT to interact with people. The methodology is quantitative, based on a non-experimental, transectional field design. A probabilistic sample with 95% confidence and 4% error was calculated, obtaining the number of 595 visitors, to whom a questionnaire was applied, through the internet, between the months of July-October 2020. The results of the regression analysis Multiple states that the variables technologies to meet the recommendations for social distancing of the COVID-19 pandemic, technologies to control access to the beach and ICT to know the conditions of the tourist area, are related to the dependent variable perception of trust to visit the beaches of the municipality. The adoption of these technological elements will allow the tourist activity to remain, complying with the necessary health security protocols in the current tourism environment. © 2021
ABSTRACT
The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 has led beach tourism to a complete halt in January 2020, disrupting millions of livelihoods and businesses. Due to the economic importance of beach tourism, many governments reopened tourist beaches after the number of confirmed cases decreased. It is essential to open beaches orderly to meet the needs of tourists, maintain beach's health and restore coastal economy under the new reality. This paper selected Qingdao in China as a case study, drew on a questionnaire survey among beach tourists, summarized the effects of the COVID-19 on beach tourism industry and tourism enterprise, analyzed beach tourists' psychology and behavior, and developed beach management strategy under the ongoing prevention and control of COVID-19. The results showed that the COVID-19 pandemic caused severe damage to beach tourism which bases on travel and mobility, and this industry was temporarily suspended. With the changing epidemic situation, beach tourism witnessed a gradual recovery from stagnation to local tourism. Meanwhile, tourism enterprises were hit by the devastating impact of the COVID-19, causing problems such as business reduction, tense cash flow, high operating cost and unclear market prospect. Under the normalization of pandemic prevention, tourists did not have severe fear and anxiety about the pandemic, and placed great importance on the prevention and control measures, emergency measures and pandemic risk level of the beach destination. The pandemic also reshaped the perception and mode of beach tourism. Ecological tourism, travelling with family, and local tourism became the primary choices for tourists. Beach congestion, health status, and the quality of tourism services were the biggest concerns for tourists. Additionally, social media and short video APP became the new marketing channels. Finally, beach management strategies were proposed from the aspects of pandemic prevention and control, emergency management, information communication, tourist management, service management, and environmental management.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has implications for coastal planning and management. Rules for isolation and physical distancing, among other measures for human life protection, have led to the closure of most beaches around the world. The present critical situation has raised the following question: How can some recommendations be designed in sun, sea, and sand tourism-dependent-insular countries to face "the COVID-19 new normality?" We used the content analysis technique to analyze representative publications on a global level to ascertain information on best management practices. A survey of 58 experts provided additional information. We used inferential statistics for sample selection and produced a list of 43 practices and beach planning and management actions to face the COVID-19 pandemic. This led to 27 new recommendations designed for beach planning and management within insular contexts, some of which were tested in the Republic of Cuba. Recommendations aim to guarantee a culture of safety and improvement within the field of beach or coastal planning and management. These recommendations should prove useful for other insular countries, during the COVID-19 period, in the new normality that follows, and in other post-pandemic scenarios.
ABSTRACT
The strict quarantine measures employed as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic have led the global tourism industry to a complete halt, disrupting the livelihoods of millions. The economic importance of beach tourism for many destinations has led many governments to reopen tourist beaches, as soon as the number of infection cases decreased. The objective of this paper is to provide a scientific basis for understanding the key issues for beach tourism management in these circumstances. These issues include risk perception, environmental considerations directly related to beaches and COVID-19, and management strategies designed to limit the risk of contagion on the beach. The contribution of this paper lies in its interdisciplinary approach to delivering the findings from the latest studies, highly relevant for beach tourism, in psychology, health science, and environmental science (often in preprint and in press format). Particular attention was given to identifying the knowledge gaps evident in the areas of COVID-19 risk perception, with the drivers explaining the risk-taking behavior and the protective strategies employed by beachgoers. Gaps were also found in areas such as the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in bathing waters and the sand, the potential of contaminated sand being a viable route of transmission, and the impact of the use of chemical disinfectants on the marine environment and on bathers. The paper identifies research prospects in these areas, additionally pointing out other questions such as new carrying capacity methods, the opportunity given by COVID-19 in estimation of the impacts of visitation and beach-litter.