Abstract
The local development policies of coastal tourism destinations are frequently focused on popular resources, such as beaches, and tend to overlook coastal wetlands, which are often located in the interstitial spaces of urbanistic transformations caused by mass tourism and considered untended marginal sites. This article investigates the uses and preferences of visitors to these wetlands with the goal of increasing cultural sustainability, improving conservation and strengthening management policies. Although the results show that almost all the current uses of coastal wetlands are recreational (such as cycling, running and walking), visitors have indicated that the positive aspects of these sites are related to their landscape quality and degree of naturalness. The results also suggest that although repeat visitors are aware of wetlands’ value, increasing the consciousness of local inhabitants regarding their value is important for prioritising local policies designed to promote the conservation of wetlands located at coastal tourism destinations. Finally, our study results indicate that improving cultural sustainability is compatible with improving the ecological status of coastal wetlands.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are pleased to mention their collaboration with Maria Blanco in the survey collection. This article is part of the project “Analysis of the trends and resilience strategies in use and water consumption in tourist areas. The case of Costa Brava” [number CSO2010-17488], which is funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Spain). The Ministry of Education, Science and Sports (Spain) funds the PhD student grant to the first author [number FPU13/00663].
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Appendix 1: Coding process
Appendix 1: Coding process
Question: Why do you visit this site?
Code | Subcode | Answer |
Aesthetical | Nature | To walk and watch birds |
To visit a natural site | ||
Interested in nature | ||
To breath fresh air | ||
To watch birds | ||
Nature | ||
To visit natural areas and swamps | ||
Swamps | ||
Landscape | Landscape | |
It is beautiful to walk | ||
Landscape | ||
To watch a river | ||
Photographic report | ||
To enjoy landscape | ||
To know surroundings To walking | ||
Landscape | ||
Landscape | ||
Landscape | ||
To enjoy landscape | ||
It is very beautiful to walk | ||
To take pictures | ||
To enjoy landscape | ||
To visit the site | ||
Recreational | Bicycle | Bicycle |
Bicycle | ||
Bicycle | ||
Bicycle | ||
Bicycle touring | ||
Burricleta (electric bike) | ||
Bicycle touring | ||
Bicycle | ||
Bicycle | ||
Bicycle | ||
To walking | To walk for health | |
To walk | ||
To walk | ||
To do a tour | ||
To walk | ||
To walk | ||
To walk | ||
To walk quiets | ||
To do a tour | ||
To walk | ||
To walk | ||
To walk | ||
To walk | ||
To walk | ||
To walk | ||
To walk | ||
To walk | ||
To walk | ||
To walk | ||
To walk | ||
To walk | ||
To walk | ||
To walk and do sport | ||
To walk | ||
To walk | ||
To walk | ||
To walk | ||
To walk | ||
To walk | ||
To walk and the beach | ||
To walk | ||
To walk | ||
To walk | ||
To walk | ||
To do a tour | ||
To walk | ||
Running | To run | |
Sport | ||
To run | ||
Sport | ||
To run and do sport | ||
To do sport | ||
To do fitness | ||
To do sport | ||
To do sport | ||
To do sport | ||
Dog | To take the dog for a walk | |
To take the dog for a walk | ||
To take the dog for a walk | ||
To take the dog for a walk | ||
To take the dog for a walk | ||
Dog | ||
To take the dog for a walk | ||
Dogs | ||
To take the dog for a walk | ||
To take the dog for a walk and go out | ||
To take the dog for a walk | ||
To take the dog for a walk | ||
To take the dog for a walk | ||
Without | Others | By chance, to sleep |
By the way to home | ||
Diving | ||
By job | ||
We are coming from shopping | ||
To control mosquitos | ||
To work | ||
Beach | To take the dog to beach | |
To take the dog to beach | ||
Beach | ||
Beach | ||
To go to beach | ||
Beach | ||
Beach | ||
Beach | ||
Beach | ||
Because the beach is dog-friendly | ||
To the beach | ||
Because the beach is dog-friendly | ||
Because the beach is dog-friendly | ||
The beach is dog-friendly | ||
To go to beach | ||
Because the beach is dog-friendly | ||
Because the beach is dog-friendly | ||
Beach | ||
It is close to l’Estartit and is a quiet beach | ||
Beach and take the dog for a walk | ||
To go to beach and bird-watching | ||
Beach | ||
Beach | ||
Beach | ||
Beach | ||
Beach | ||
Beach | ||
Because the beach is dog-friendly | ||
Beach | ||
Beach | ||
Beach | ||
This beach is close | ||
To spend the day | ||
To take my partner | ||
Beach | ||
To “investigate” new beach and natural areas | ||
Quietude | Quietude | Calm |
Calm | ||
To walk alone and quiet | ||
Calm | ||
Quiet | ||
To rest |
Which aspects of this site are negative?
External | Climate | Too much hot |
Too arid | ||
Little beach | Little beach | |
Wildlife | Wildlife | Mosquito |
Mosquito | ||
Mosquito | ||
Mosquito | ||
Mosquito | ||
Gull | ||
Too many gulls | ||
Poor_management | Accessibility | No sign posts to arrive |
Little signalized to arrive | ||
Stones in paths | ||
Bad access for elderly | ||
Not conditioned for tourists | ||
No advices about wildlife refugee | ||
They are removing promenade | ||
Paths | ||
Unfinished promenade | ||
Arrival path is neglected | ||
Dirty | Water is dirty | |
It is not too much clean | ||
No cleanliness | ||
Dirty | ||
So dirty because of the dogs | ||
Unkempt and dirty | ||
Unkempt | ||
Litter | ||
No trash bins | ||
Unkempt | ||
Dirty | ||
Litter | ||
Bad conditioned | ||
Dirty and contamination | ||
Dirty | ||
Little cleanliness | ||
Dog excrements | ||
Dog excrements | ||
Dog excrements | ||
It is not too much clean | ||
It is so dirty | ||
Dirty | ||
Dirty because of peasants | ||
Equipment | No drinking fountains | |
Uncared sign posts in paths | ||
Little signalized routes | ||
Uncared sign post in paths | ||
It lacks information, sign posts and trash bins | ||
Uncared | Neglected by urbanization | |
Uncared, broken path | ||
Bad cared | ||
Broken | ||
Too much canes, dirty, butts | ||
Uncared promenade | ||
Neglected, uncared | ||
Uncared, broken path | ||
Park car and promenade are ruined | ||
Uncared | ||
Observation point | ||
Few people | There are few people | |
Restrictions | There are too many restrictions | |
Nothing | No answer | Nothing |
Nothing | ||
Nothing, all is right | ||
Blank (×36) | ||
Visual_impact | Electric towers | Light towers |
Electricity cable | ||
Electric towers | ||
Electric towers | ||
Urbanization | Built part | |
Neglected urbanization | ||
Urbanized segments | ||
Promenade should be removed | ||
Promenade and ruins | ||
Urbanizations in horizon | ||
Urbanization is unpleasant | ||
Urbanized area | ||
Urbanization | ||
Urbanization | ||
Area cut up by urbanization | ||
Close urbanizations | ||
Buildings | ||
Buildings | ||
Urban impact | ||
Urbanizations | ||
Golf courts | ||
Too many buildings | ||
Accessing streets | ||
Human_presence | Anthrophonies | Too many people are doing noise |
Noise from cars | ||
Contamination | Contamination from rice crops | |
Cars | Cars | |
Too many cars | ||
Too many parked cars | ||
There are too many cars and too fast | ||
Too many cars and trucks | ||
To many cars | ||
Crowded | Too many people and cars | |
Too many people | ||
Too many bikes and people | ||
Uses | Caravans | |
People don’t respect protected areas |
Which aspects of this site are positive?
Quietude | Quietude | Nature and calm |
Silence | ||
Calm | ||
Tranquility | ||
No noise, green | ||
Calm | ||
Tranquility | ||
Calm | ||
Solitude | ||
Tranquility | ||
Tranquility, nature | ||
So quiet | ||
Quiet, few people | ||
Quiet | ||
Calm | ||
Quiet | ||
No buildings, no crowded | ||
Quiet when there aren’t people | ||
Beach and silence | ||
Tranquillity | ||
Calm | ||
Single_element | Fauna | A lot of animals |
Diversity of birds, rabbits and plants | ||
Birds and animals | ||
Bird-watching point | ||
Birds, rice crops, dunes, beach | ||
Animals | ||
Animals | ||
Fauna and water | ||
Birds and conservation | ||
Birds and rice | ||
Hearing birds and sea | ||
Fauna | ||
A lot of birds and plants | ||
Respected fauna, birds | ||
Birds and rice | ||
Rice | Rice crops, wild | |
Rice crops and water, green | ||
Rice crops and birds | ||
Rice | ||
Agronatural pattern | ||
Rice | ||
Dunes | Conservation of dunes and dog-friendly | |
Protection of dunes and few people | ||
Protection of dunes and beautiful site | ||
Protection of dunes | ||
Dunes and saltmarsh | ||
Naturalness | Naturalness | A lot of plants, it’s beautiful |
Clean, as before | ||
Restoration project | ||
Vegetation | ||
Natural | ||
Natural | ||
Preservation of nature | ||
Site is protected, animals, paths and colours | ||
Naturalness | ||
Natural | ||
Virgin | ||
Nature | ||
Very natural | ||
Nature, protected | ||
Nature | ||
Freedom and nature | ||
No buildings | ||
Naturalness, water, green | ||
Calm, wild, without houses | ||
Natural | ||
Nature | ||
Nature | ||
Flora and fauna | ||
Very natural | ||
No urbanized, virgin | ||
The landscape is very virgin | ||
Very natural | ||
Conservation, little presence of pesticides | ||
Plants and birds | ||
Natural | ||
Well conserved, no crowded | ||
Nature and quiet | ||
It’s well conserved, plants and animals | ||
Naturalness | ||
No urbanized, seaside | ||
Very natural, there isn’t buildings | ||
Nothing | Nothing | Blank (×2) |
Landscape | Color | Green |
Green colour | ||
Very green | ||
Greenness | ||
Tonalities | ||
Green of rice crops | ||
Contact sea-mountain | The contrast between sea and mountain | |
Beach is very close to the mountain | ||
The view of the sea, Medes islands and the mountains | ||
Contrast sea mountain | ||
Diversity | Diversity | |
Cohabitation of uses | ||
Diversity | ||
Urban and natural landscape, a positive contrast | ||
There is everything: mountain, sea, crops and so on | ||
Contrast between green, mountain and sea | ||
Contrast green and beach | ||
Generic | Well cared | |
Very beautiful site | ||
It’s beautiful, quiet and with freedom feelings | ||
Landscape | ||
Views | ||
Combination of landscape and sea | ||
Site is nice | ||
Freedom | ||
Beautiful natural site | ||
It’s beautiful | ||
Beautiful | ||
Beautiful | ||
Sea | The sea and atmosphere | |
Mountains in horizon | Mountains, birds and castles | |
Relief | Open space, green and water | |
Continuity | ||
Sensation of wideness | ||
Flat | ||
Flat | ||
Amplitude | ||
Sensation of openness | ||
Sea views | The sea is very close | |
Cost views and it’s wild | ||
Recreational | Paths | Flat for bike routes |
Paths and green views | ||
Flat for walk | ||
There is a promenade | ||
There are little paths and it is quiet | ||
Dogs | Beach is dog-friendly |
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Pueyo-Ros, J., Ribas, A. & Fraguell, R.M. Uses and Preferences of Visitors to Coastal Wetlands in Tourism Destinations (Costa Brava, Spain). Wetlands 38, 1183–1197 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-017-0954-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-017-0954-9