<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>This study aims to reveal the perceptions of local beach destination managers about the level of sustainability in their management practices. This research puts into practice a comparative study assessing two beach destinations: Muğla, located in Turkey, which won the World Travel Award, and Algarve, located in Portugal, which is a member state of the European Union (EU) that has also repeatedly won the same award. In this context, in-depth interviews were held with tourism offices in selected destinations and qualitative data were obtained through semistructured interviews that were carried out between February and April 2020. As a study outcome, two hypotheses were elected and analysed: “the two regions’ sustainable managerial practices differ” and “no difference exists between the regions.” Both regions won the same award, but the EU Algarve destination is still winning the award, whereas the non-EU Muğla destination is not. The findings can be shared with beach destination managers to create or increase their sustainability awareness. No studies were found that compared the sustainable management of award-winning EU and non-EU beach destinations. Because of this gap in the literature, this study will add value to the literature about this topic.</p>
</abstract>

This study aims to reveal the perceptions of local beach destination managers about the level of sustainability in their management practices. This research puts into practice a comparative study assessing two beach destinations: Muğla, located in Turkey, which won the World Travel Award, and Algarve, located in Portugal, which is a member state of the European Union (EU) that has also repeatedly won the same award. In this context, in-depth interviews were held with tourism offices in selected destinations and qualitative data were obtained through semistructured interviews that were carried out between February and April 2020. As a study outcome, two hypotheses were elected and analysed: “the two regions’ sustainable managerial practices differ” and “no difference exists between the regions.” Both regions won the same award, but the EU Algarve destination is still winning the award, whereas the non-EU Muğla destination is not. The findings can be shared with beach destination managers to create or increase their sustainability awareness. No studies were found that compared the sustainable management of award-winning EU and non-EU beach destinations. Because of this gap in the literature, this study will add value to the literature about this topic.

Can They Manage in a Sustainable Way? The Role of International Destination Awards in Beach Management

European Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Recreation

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

This study aims to reveal the perceptions of local beach destination managers about the level of sustainability in their management practices. This research...

Can They Manage in a Sustainable Way? The Role of International Destination Awards in Beach Management

Article Category: Research Article

Published Online: Dec 31, 2022

Page range: 89 - 99

Received: Nov 29, 2021

Accepted: Nov 08, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ejthr-2022-0007

Keywords
Beach destination, quality awards, qualitative method, sustainable destination management, Algarve, Muğla

© 2022 Emine Yılmaz et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Can They Manage in a Sustainable Way? The Role of International Destination Awards in Beach Management

Article Category: Research Article

Published Online: Dec 31, 2022

Page range: 89 - 99

Received: Nov 29, 2021

Accepted: Nov 08, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ejthr-2022-0007

KeywordsBeach destination, quality awards, qualitative method, sustainable destination management, Algarve, Muğla

© 2022 Emine Yılmaz et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
Beach destination, quality awards, qualitative method, sustainable destination management, Algarve, Muğla