Assessing public perceptions on beach quality according to beach users' profile: A case study in the Costa Brava (Spain)

In recent years, the scope of beach management practices has broadened although a complementary bottom-up perspective that considers beach users' preferences and demands is still missing. Being aware that the translation of beach users' demands into policy recommendations should be made with caution, we propose to examine separately each opinion group and its behaviour by means of a cluster analysis.A case study was carried out at six beaches on the Costa Brava (northeast Spain), a typical Mediterranean area that attracts tourists from other European countries as well as national visitors and residents. Beach users' perceptions were collected by means of a questionnaire randomly applied over two weekends during the peak seasons. A cluster analysis was used to segment the different opinion groups: satisfied and demanding beach users. The results suggest that loyal and local users are more concerned with natural beach values and environmental degradation. On the other hand, those visitors coming for a short stay are more concerned with the provision of facilities and equipment and do not feel disturbed by overcrowding.