The role of beach attributes in sun-and-beach destination choice: an application to Spanish domestic tourism

[eng] Sun-and-beach tourism is one of the most popular segments of tourism markets. Although this type of tourism generates numerous benefits for the receiving destinations, it is also the source of a variety of challenges (i.e., environmental degradation, loss of competitiveness, etc.). In this context, information about the factors that determine the choice of the destination can be a great help for public administrations and the other organizations dealing with the management of those problems associated with sun-and-beach tourism. This Master’s Thesis will investigate the role that beach related attributes (natural characteristics, provision of services, …) plays on the destination choice process of sun-and-beach tourists. To achieve this purpose, a discrete choice model based on the random utility theory will be used to investigate how the characteristics of Spanish beaches, as well as other characteristics of the destinations (accommodation prices, temperature, etc.), determine domestic sun-and-beach tourism flows to Spanish coastal provinces. The results obtained indicate that the attributes most appreciated by Spanish tourists when choosing a sun-and-beach destination are related to the environmental quality of beaches. These results provide valuable information for public administrations when estimating destination ability to attract sun-and-beach tourists