Measuring the role of Blue Flags in attracting sustainable "sun-and-sand" tourism

Eco-labels such as Blue Flags can be effective for enhancing both sustainability and tourism. Given the ongoing political debate on the effectiveness of Blue Flags for promoting tourism, we analyze the impact of the number of Blue Flag beaches on tourist arrivals (international and domestic, respect...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Castillo Manzano, José I., Castro Nuño, Mercedes, López Valpuesta, Lourdes, Zarzoso, Álvaro
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
Repositorio:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
OAI Identifier:oai:idus.us.es:11441/130665
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/11441/130665
https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2020.1844642
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Blue Flags
Sustainable tourism
Sun-and-sand
Tourism demand
Spain
NUTS-3
Panel data
Descripción
Sumario:Eco-labels such as Blue Flags can be effective for enhancing both sustainability and tourism. Given the ongoing political debate on the effectiveness of Blue Flags for promoting tourism, we analyze the impact of the number of Blue Flag beaches on tourist arrivals (international and domestic, respectively) for Spanish coastal provinces. Panel data techniques are used to evaluate Blue Flags econometrically for the longest and most recent time period in the literature (2000– 2019). Findings suggest that Blue Flags are effective at promoting international tourism but not domestic tourism. Different patterns for international and domestic tourists mean that differentiated policies should be applied.