A combined assessment of beach occupancy and public perceptions of beach quality: A case study in the Costa Brava, Spain

The main objective of this paper is to present an approach that contributes to evaluate beach quality based on a combined analysis of beach occupancy and the perception of beach users. The study area is a major Mediterranean tourist destination in NE Spain. Six beaches that fulfilled different environmental and social criteria were assessed. Sampling took place during 2004 and 2005. An analysis of beach occupancy showed that highly accessible urban beaches suffer the most from overcrowding. A comparison of the two approaches (occupancy and perception) indicates that a higher sand availability increased user satisfaction, although not as much as might have been expected because other parameters are also highly relevant in evaluating beach quality from the perspective of beach user such as physical characteristics, landscape and facilities.