Geospatial analysis of barrier island beach availability to tourists

Byungyun Yang, Marguerite Madden, Jinwon Kim and Thomas R. Jordan

Tourism Management, 2012, vol. 33, issue 4, 840-854

Abstract: This study geospatially analyzes beach availability for global recreational tourism management with focus on a case study of Jekyll Island off the coast of Georgia, USA. Aerial digital imagery in combination with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data and geographic information system (GIS) mapping and analysis are employed to delineate accurate shorelines with regard to accessible and available beach area. This analysis demonstrates geospatial techniques for the identification, delineation, qualification and geovisualization of dry beaches, a popular tourist destination worldwide that is subjected to diurnal flooding by tides. The accurate depiction of shorelines using remotely sensed differences in Mean Higher High Water (MHHW) and Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) levels is required to identify dry beach areas available for coastal tourism and management. Such information allows tourists to choose beach areas suitable for recreational or ecological activities. Dry beach availability also assists coastal restoration managers to plan and implement beach conservation measures. Results predict shoreline changes and dry beach access while promoting minimal impacts by tourists on fragile coastal dune ecosystems.

Keywords: LiDAR; GIS; Coastal tourism; Beach availability; Shoreline change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261517711001890

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:touman:v:33:y:2012:i:4:p:840-854

DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2011.08.013

Access Statistics for this article

Tourism Management is currently edited by Chris Ryan

More articles in Tourism Management from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().