Towards a Sustainable Sun, Sea, and Sand Tourism: The Value of Ocean View and Proximity to the Coast

Gabriela Mendoza-González, M. Luisa Martínez, Roger Guevara, Octavio Pérez-Maqueo, María Cristina Garza-Lagler and Alan Howard
Additional contact information
Gabriela Mendoza-González: Institute of Ecology, C.A., Carretera Antigua a Coatepec No. 351, El Haya, Xalapa 91500, Mexico
M. Luisa Martínez: Institute of Ecology, C.A., Carretera Antigua a Coatepec No. 351, El Haya, Xalapa 91500, Mexico
Roger Guevara: Institute of Ecology, C.A., Carretera Antigua a Coatepec No. 351, El Haya, Xalapa 91500, Mexico
Octavio Pérez-Maqueo: Institute of Ecology, C.A., Carretera Antigua a Coatepec No. 351, El Haya, Xalapa 91500, Mexico
María Cristina Garza-Lagler: CONACYT—Faculty of Sciences, Academic Unit of Yucatan, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Carretera Sierra Papacal Chuburná Puerto Km 5, Sierra Papacal, Yucatan 97302, Mexico
Alan Howard: Statistical Software Support & Consulting Services, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 4, 1-15

Abstract: Coastal tourism is expanding worldwide, mostly owing to the attraction to relevant ecosystem services such as the scenic beauty and recreational activities. The aim of this study was to analyze the value of these, using hedonic analysis by assessing how prices of hotel rooms are related to the scenic view, location, non-ecosystem amenities, and size of the hotels in three touristic areas of Veracruz, México. We found that, besides the size of the hotel and the number of non-ecosystem amenities, room prices increased by 8% and 57%, depending on the ocean view and accessibility to the beach, respectively. These results help to understand why hotels are built very close to the coastline, despite the high risk of extreme and frequent meteorological events. The unorganized and intense development of the tourist industry may act in contrast to the necessity for conservation of the natural ecosystems, rendering this activity highly unsustainable. The question is how to deal with the dilemma of tourism growth and conservation. We suggest some alternatives that might help with the conservation of natural ecosystems, while maintaining the combined provision of simultaneous coastal ecosystem services such as an aesthetically pleasing view and recreation, as well as additional services such as storm protection.

Keywords: hedonic price; coastal landscape; beach proximity; tourism industry; coastal protection; beach and costal dunes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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