Concessions within the maritime-terrestrial public domain on the beaches of southeastern Spain

Tourism makes an important contribution to the economies of some territories, especially ‘sun and sand’ tourism that uses public domain areas. Some of these areas are operated through concession systems. This article studies the evolution of 31 eminently touristic beaches in 5 provinces of the Spanish Mediterranean coast during the period 2005–2016, analysing both their physical (shoreline evolution) and administrative (concessions documents) aspects. For this purpose, orthophotos interpreted by Geographic Information Systems are used, as well as the concession contract for each beach. The results obtained show that first, there is no relationship between the evolution of the shoreline and the surface area that is assigned under the concession agreement. Second, concessions do not follow uniform criteria (i.e., set boundaries, surface area, annual fee or distance from the water line). Despite the existence of specific legislation applicable to the entire Spanish coastline, there also exist loopholes in it. The conclusion of the study is that for the sustainable management of these areas, it is necessary to link the physical aspects of beaches with the management of the public domain. This would achieve a balance between the natural, economic and social aspects of the territory, and would ensure that there is no decrease in the quality of the beach, which would have a negative impact on visitor satisfaction. This is crucial to avoid in the tourism sector, which is a key GDP contributor for many countries