Popular Tourist Destination Research Articles

PERCEPTION OF OVERTOURISM IN SELECTED EUROPEAN DESTINATIONS IN TERMS OF VISITOR AGE AND IN THE CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

Overtourism is a modern challenge in many popular tourist destinations. Social networks are also largely helping to spread this phenomenon, where destinations are presented to a large, dispersed, and younger audience of tourists. The aim of this paper is therefore to assess the age perception of overtourism in selected European destinations in the context of sustainable tourism. For the collection of primary data, we used an author's questionnaire, by which we surveyed from selected groups of Slovak respondents the perception of overtourism in our selected ten European destinations of overtourism. The analysis includes the most important findings from the questionnaire survey and the evaluation of research hypotheses. Selected mathematical-statistical methods were used, namely correlation analysis through the Spearman correlation coefficient and regression analysis through a simple linear regression model in the Gretl statistical program. The main findings include that there is a statistically significant association between the number of destinations visited and the age of the respondents, as well as that the number of overtourism destinations visited depends on the age of the respondents. This finding should be considered by destination management organizations when creating products aimed at younger visitors. Through various marketing activities, they could mainly focus on their travel behavior with an emphasis on the development of sustainable tourism.

ТУРИСТИЧНА ГАЛУЗЬ В УМОВАХ ПАНДЕМІЇ COVID-19 ТА ЗМІН КЛІМАТУ: ВИКЛИКИ ТА ПЕРСПЕКТИВИ

The article analyzes the factors effecting the tourism industry development in the world. It was noted that the steady growth of the tourism industry for the past 10 years to the Covid-19 pandemic is due to many factors, among which an important place is given to the growth in the number of consumers of tourism services with middle-class incomes, the weakening of the visa facilitation in many countries of the world, the transport infrastructure development, and social networks. The purpose of the article is to study the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change on the tourism, to find out the directions for adapting the tourism industry to these challenges. Closure of international borders since the beginning of the pandemic, falling international air traffic, stopping the work of hotels and entertainment establishments, restriction of catering establishments, rising unemployment, reducing incomes and savings of consumers, changes in consumption patterns, restricting the free movement of people, the risk of getting sick with coronavirus and high uncertainty led to a catastrophic drop in demand for tourism services. Climate change also has a very negative effect on tourism development. The most popular tourist destinations in the world are largely affected by climate change that we are observing in the form of an increase in fire areas, an increase the number of flood disasters, and increased erosion of coastal marine areas. On the other hand, the excessive demand for tourism services in the world has had a negative effect on climate change. All tourism travel accounts for around 5.6% of all CO2 emissions in the world, according to various estimates. They are produced by transport, accommodation, and all types of tourism activities. It should be considered that the attractiveness of tourist destinations is directly affected by the scale of the biodiversity reduction problem, the availability and price of clean fresh water, the level of air pollution, the amount of waste from hotels and catering establishments, and harmful emissions from transport. Therefore, the crisis in the tourism industry as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic has contributed to its change towards sustainable tourism development, the development of the tourism ecosystem, and green infrastructure.

Implementation of Creative Economy Digital Transformation at Mandalika Lombok Super Priority Tourism Destination

The Mandalika Super Priority Tourism Destination (SPTD) on Lombok Island has recently become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the media. Its beautiful charm makes Mandalika a critical tourist destination and makes Mandalika attractive to domestic and foreign tourists. Creative economy growth in Lombok is swift, but few are digitally transformed. Therefore, the application of digital transformation is a concern in this research, especially in Mandalika. The theory in this research is the Reasonable Digital Transformation Model. This study uses qualitative research methods, data collection using in-depth interviews, and observation. The informants in this study were creative economy actors randomly selected with the criteria that they had used a digital platform for their business but not optimally. The result of this research is that the creative economy has implemented digital transformation in the Super Priority Tourism Destination area in Mandalika, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. The reasons for the digital transformation of the creative economy include changes in consumer behavior, the very rapid development of the digital era, and the Covid-19 pandemic using the Social Media Marketing strategy.

PROMISING DIRECTIONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SPORTS TOURISM IN THE ALMATY REGION USING THE EXAMPLE OF ROCK CLIMBING

The aim of the study was the process of studying the phenomenon of rock climbing development as one of the promising areas of sports tourism in the Almaty region of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which has a wide range of tourist resources systematically involved in various types of tourism. The research method was a large-scale, extended analysis of the tourist attractiveness of the region, and thus defined the most popular tourism destinations, as well as the persistent association of the Almaty region with mountain and foothill terrain, sports tourism and rock climbing. As a result of the research, the authors have formed a clear understanding of rock climbing as one of the promising areas for the development of sports tourism, which is currently becoming increasingly popular among both the local population and tourists of different ages. Sports tourism, rock climbing on natural and artificial (specially created) terrain, requires significant resource provision with respect to both the rock climbing sites, and professional personnel in the field of tourism who possess competencies in the field of sports tourism, ensuring the implementation of this tourist service. The results of the research presented in this article are based on the professional activities of the authors and allow them to have a qualitative impact on the process of training the sports tourism personnel, and contribute to the development of different-level routes for tourists wishing to engage in rock climbing, expand the involvement of tourists and contribute to the development of touristic attractiveness of the regions of the country.

Collaborative Tourism Reconstruction Of The Bay Area In Palu City Following The 2018 Earthquake And Tsunami Disaster

Palu Bay, which is developed as a tourism area, is in the ring of fire with a history of repeated disasters. This tourism was able to increase tourist visits to the city of Palu. However, the 2018 earthquake and tsunami resulted in a decrease in tourist visits to the city of Palu. In addition to determining the interaction patterns of the Palu city population, this study tries to pinpoint the key factors the government used to transform Palu Bay into a popular tourist destination. This is accomplished by identifying the key factors that make Palu Bay a popular tourist destination and figuring out how to boost tourism there in the wake of the 2018 earthquake and tsunami disaster. Schutz analysis was employed with post-positivist paradigm and transcendental phenomenology approach. Triangulation was used to collect data, while content analysis was used to process it.Key factors used by the local government of Palu City in developing Palu Bay as a tourism area included: 1. The potential of Palu Bay's natural resources with its natural beauty and unique five-dimensional city (sea, bay, valley, mountain and river); 2. Strategic location on the coast of Palu city with easy access for tourists, 3. Market share of domestic and international tourists; 4. Of the nine existing sub-sectors, Palu Bay has the potential to become the mainstay sector of the city of Palu to support the regional economy because the agricultural, mining, fisheries, industrial, housing and financial sectors lack the potential to be the mainstay sector. The development of tourism in the Palu Bay area is carried out by prioritizing disaster emergency mitigation and response with proper governance and principles of Good Corporate Governance (GCG). Collaborative Multidimensional reconstruction of the private sector, local communities and local governments (triple BCG) as well as patterns of disaster mitigation and emergency response to stimulate tourism in the Palu bay area affected by the 2018 earthquake and tsunami.

An empirical examination of the antecedents of Residents' support for future film tourism development

This study aimed to develop and test a conceptual model of the antecedents of residents' attitudinal behavior to support future film tourism in a popular tourism destination. These antecedents include: socio-cultural impacts of existing tourism, place attachment, external perceived realism of media programs, and perceived importance of residents' involvement. A total of 416 survey questionnaires were completed from residents living in the province of Seville, Spain. Partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to examine the relationship between these factors and the residents' support for future film tourism (RSFFT). The results indicate that place attachment and perceived importance of residents' involvement are the most significant predictors. Also, it confirms that the importance of residents' external perceived realism of movies and TV series shot in their locale is a key predictor of the RSFFT.

Stakeholders’ perception of accessible tourism implementation based on corporate sustainability and responsibility: a SEM-based investigation

PropósitoA pesar del creciente interés de los académicos, no se han examinado a fondo los actores y factores del desarrollo del turismo accesible. El propósito de este estudio es investigar las relaciones entre las actitudes de los actores, la intervención colaborativa y la sostenibilidad y responsabilidad corporativa (RSC) y la implementación del turismo accesible (ITA).Diseño/Metodología/enfoqueEl estudio utiliza un enfoque de métodos mixtos que incluye una discusión de grupo focal, una prueba de validez de contenido de expertos y un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales (MEE). En la playa marítima más larga del mundo, situada en Bangladesh, se recogieron datos de los agentes turísticos mediante una encuesta con cuestionario in situ.HallazgosLa actitud de las partes interesadas está significativamente relacionada con su intervención colaborativa, pero la sustancialidad y la responsabilidad corporativa inclusiva de la accesibilidad (SRCIA) media las relaciones entre la actitud y la implementación, así como la intervención colaborativa y la implementación. Como resultado, la SRCIA se identifica como un factor clave en la implementación del turismo accesible.Limitación de la investigaciónSe utilizó un muestreo discrecional para seleccionar a las partes interesadas del destino turístico más popular de Bangladesh. No obstante, el modelo estadísticamente válido de este estudio exploratorio puede probarse para su generalización en otros contextos con una muestra grande. Las conclusiones mostrarán diversos grupos de interés y fomentarán el crecimiento del turismo sin barreras que podría mejorar la ventaja comparativa y la competitividad de los destinos.Originalidad/valorSe trata de uno de los primeros estudios que utilizan métodos cuantitativos rigurosos para investigar la implantación del turismo accesible centrándose en la RSC. Contribuye a la bibliografía existente sobre turismo accesible al proporcionar una escala y un modelo de ITA, al tiempo que pone de relieve hasta qué punto se puede implementar el turismo accesible dentro de la RSC.

THE IMPACT OF AIR QUALITY AND METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS INCLUDING VISIBILITY ON TOURISM: THE CASE OF ZAKOPANE (POLAND)

The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of air pollution and meteorological conditions on visibility in Zakopane, the most popular tourist destination in southern Poland. To achieve this objective, correlation analysis, multiple linear regression analysis and random forests were used. In addition, an analysis was performed of the occurrence of episodes of elevated pollutant concentrations and basic statistical characteristics of visibility, meteorological conditions and air pollution. Meteorological parameters (air temperature, relative humidity, total precipitation, wind speed, atmospheric pressure and visibility) and concentrations of air pollutants; particulate matter (PM₁₀) and gaseous pollutants (SO₂, NO₂) were recorded from 2010 to 2019. The data came from a monitoring station located in Zakopane-MpZakopaSien. It was found that high concentrations of air pollutants SO₂ and PM₁₀, along with relative humidity (RH), were the most important parameters affecting visibility limitation in Zakopane. Concentrations and indirectly also visibility were largely influenced by increased automobile traffic due to tourist activity, as well as emissions from apartment/building heating (combustion of various fuels). Understanding the relationship between air pollutant concentrations, meteorological conditions and visibility is a prerequisite and the basis for the scientific formulation of air pollution prevention and control policies in places where monitoring is particularly important.

A Case Study in Hong Kong – Developing Qualification Framework for Hotel Frontline Staff

ABSTRACT The tourism industry is a major pillar of the economy of Hong Kong, and hospitality is an inseparable part. Front-line staff are of great importance for the hospitality industry, as their performance can largely affect the perception of a destination. Hence, the competencies of employees in the hospitality industry are critical. Although qualification frameworks (QFs) have been advocated in many different industries, a QF for hotels, particularly for front-line staff, is lacking. Thus, the present study aims to examine the core competencies required for front-office positions in hotels using Hong Kong, a popular tourism destination, as an example. Findings of the present study provide specific information to design an appropriate curriculum to fit the needs of the hospitality industry. Ultimately, the findings can serve as a reference for academic researchers and industry practitioners to facilitate the further development of a QF in the hospitality industry.

Weibo users and Academia's foci on tourism safety: Implications from institutional differences and digital divide

Tourism safety is essential for tourists and tourism practitioners. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer and CiteSpace for 2018 articles indexed on the Web of Science (WoS). It also analysed 7293 Weibo posts between 1977 and 2022 using Python, MYSQL, AI sentiment, and Tableau. The first tourism safety publication on WoS appeared in 1977, while the first Weibo microblog dated was dated back to 2011. Compared to the information posted on Weibo, the annual publications about tourism safety on WoS recorded a stable increment. On Web of Science (WoS), the academic staff and universities produced the largest number of tourism safety posts. On the flip side, the most productive organisations on Weibo are government agencies in popular tourism destinations. “Accident”, “medical tourism”, “environment”, “mediating role”, and “hospitality” were important burst nodes in tourism safety on WoS. “Quality”, “accident”, and health-related words were the foci on both Weibo and WoS. On Web of Science, the top 10 most popular keywords of tourism safety-related articles could be classified into two groups: health (“Covid-19”, “restoration”, “pandemics”, “Sars-Cov-2”, “Sars”, “mental health”) and IT terminologies (“big data”, “artificial intelligence”). It has been concluded that “artificial intelligence (AI)” is more likely to be included in the keywords on tourism researched by academia. In contrast, the public may not know about or use AI in the tourism industry. Besides, the top 10 most popular keywords on Weibo related to tourism risks and hazards were drowning and traffic risks and hazards, such as drowning and traffic risks. The digital divide may explain such a difference: the academic circle benefits more from the digital age than laypersons. It may also be the result of institutional differences and information asymmetry.

Beach litter contamination of the Turkish middle Black Sea coasts: Spatial and temporal variation, composition, and possible sources.

Marine litter is one of the biggest environmental problems nowadays. Sinop, is located in the heart of Türkiye's Black Sea coast, has a small population, and is a popular fishing and tourist destination. In this study, marine litter amount, composition, and possible sources were investigated, and seasonal comparisons were made between in Sinop beaches. Marine litter amount was found as 0.29-7.67items·m-2 and 3.46-49.09g·m-2 and beaches were classified as moderate to extremely dirty. Plastics were the highest ratio (88.14-98.46%) and "plastic pieces 2.5> <50cm" were the major litter type. The major possible litter source was improper waste disposal (33.36%) and litter items originated from mainly land-based sources (74.13%). The result of this study shows that there is a significant litter problem on the coasts. The solution of this problem can be possible to take rational measures against marine litter pollution with education and management policies.

Developing a Digital-Based Marketing Strategy to Promote Beach Attractions in Indonesia: a Case of Botutonuo Beach in Gorontalo

Purpose: The study reported in this article sought to examine the current state of Botutonuo Beach in the Province of Gorontalo, Indonesia, and develop a digital-based marketing strategy that allows attractions of the beach to be open to potential worldwide tourists. The beach is a popular tourist destination in the province, yet limited information about the beach is available online.&#x0D; Design/Method/Approach: A design-based research method was employed in the study. To collect data, observations and semi-structured interviews with four locals who were also organizing the beach were used; while for the analysis, a thematic analysis approach was utilized.&#x0D; Findings: Findings revealed three main themes that best describe aspects of Botutonuo Beach tourism sites that need improvement, namely accessibility, facilities, and convenience, as well as showed what important information that needs to be included on the beach website.&#x0D; Practical Implications: It is expected that the website can be used by the beach management and local government to foster the promotion of Botutonuo Beach. It is also hoped that the findings, in general, may encourage active participation by the beach visitors and local government to ensure effective management of the beach so that national and international recognition can be obtained.&#x0D; Originality/Value: The study proposed development of a website that helps in promoting Botutonuo Beach as one of the popular tourist destinations in Gorontalo.&#x0D; Research Limitations/Future Research: Future research examining the efficacy of this website development is a potential research topic to undertake.&#x0D; Paper Type: Empirical&#x0D; JEL Classification: L29, M31, Z33&#x0D; Botutonuo Beach is a popular tourist destination in the Province of Gorontalo, Indonesia. The locals have primarily been managing the beach for years; however, very little information can be elicited about it online by target visitors from other regions. Therefore, the study reported in this article sought to examine the beach’s current state and develop a digital-based marketing strategy that allows attractions of the beach to be open to potential worldwide tourists. Using a design-based research method, data were collected using observations and semi-structured interviews with four locals who were also organizing the beach. To analyze data, a thematic analysis was used. Findings revealed that several things related to accessibility, facilities, and convenience were crucial aspects to be considered by the beach management. Furthermore, developing a website that helps the management promote the beach’s uniqueness is necessary. The study suggests that the locals, visitors, and government share the responsibility to ensure more effective beach management.

Why do Farmers in Nyaruguru District Adopt Organic Coffee Production Methods?

Purpose: Nyaruguru is the most southerly district in Rwanda, lying between the cities of Butare and Cyangugu and along the Burundian border. It is mountainous, containing part of the montane forest of Nyungwe, one of Rwanda's most popular tourist destinations. Innovation and adoption of new technologies in agriculture is one of the keys that should reduce poverty in that area. The aim of this study is to analyse the factors influencing farmer’s adoption of organic coffee production practices in Rwanda. Methodology: This study employed a cross-sectional survey design and a multi-stage sampling technique to select a sample for this study. However, a total sample size of 150 respondents was used. The functional form of the stochastic frontier production (or cost) model employed for this study is the Cobb-Douglas (C-D) functional form. In the analysis, descriptive statistics and a Tobit model were used with the help of STATA. Findings: The study found out that appropriate seeds and planting material is one of the most important factors in production. The findings of logit regression analysis also indicated that four factors such as education level, land size, farming experience, gender and enhanced soil fertility had positive and significant influence on adoption of organic coffee production practices. The demand for organic products creates new export opportunities. The market returns from organic agriculture can potentially contribute to local food security by increasing family incomes. Conclusion: The study conclude that the most common constraints to adoption of organic coffee production practices were lack stable and reliable market, high cost of inputs, lack of extension services, and inadequate capital. Recommendations: The study recommended that efforts aiming at promoting organic coffee production practices among smallholder’s farmers should focus on enhancement of farmer-awareness, provision of training and technical advice on organic farming practices. This can be achieved through agricultural extension services and developing information networks among farmers. Also, the government should strive to improve extension services through field visit and strive to stabilize coffee markets.

Large-Scale Accessibility as a New Perspective for Geoheritage Assessment

The exploitation of geoheritage resources depends on their accessibility. The latter is usually established for geosites, whereas reaching the areas where geosites concentrate also deserves attention. Here, a novel, multi-criteria, score-based approach for assessing the large-scale accessibility of geoheritage-rich areas is proposed. The study takes into account various information about external and internal public transportation, road infrastructure, local services (including accommodation opportunities), and general settings. This approach is applied to the Russian South, where there are three geoheritage-rich areas, namely Lower Don, Abrau, and Mountainous Adygeya. Using new criteria, these areas differ by their large-scale accessibility, which is excellent in Lower Don and moderate in Abrau and Mountainous Adygeya. It is established that the co-occurrence of geoheritage-rich areas and popular tourist destinations does not guarantee excellent accessibility. The findings of the present study seem to be important for the development of optimal geoheritage resources policy, as well as for planning research and educational activities, such as the currently realized geochemical investigations and the regular field educational campaigns in the Russian South.

Human resource risk challenges in the hotel industry

PurposeThis study aims to identify and classify potential hospitality industry human resource (HR) risks in the luxury hotel context.Design/methodology/approachData has been collected from five-star hotels in Antalya, one of the most popular tourism destinations in Turkey. The study conducted focus groups to examine how hotel managers and lower-level staff perceive such risks. Using these focus group discussions, the participants' perceptions of HR risks were explored and elicited.FindingsParticipating hotel managers' and employees' perceptions were utilized to build up an outline for examining the risks associated with human resources management (HRM) practices in hotels. The evaluation shows that HR risk types in luxury hotels vary highly and that each type of risk requires close examination.Practical implicationsRecognizing HR risks play a key role for hospitality industry leaders and managers in attaining their organizations' goals and objectives, offering a practical framework in identifying and governing their HR risks, allowing them to make better strategic choices regarding their HR risk management (RM) plans.Originality/valueThis study extends the hospitality literature by exploring new ways of identifying and classifying HRM risks in luxury hotels.

Classifying Tourist Destinations in Japan for Overtourism

Tourism is considered an important factor that generates a feeling of satisfaction and wellbeing and contributes to subjective wellbeing and quality of life. The magnificent nature and cross-cultural understanding that tourists have never experienced bring a wider perspective to tourists. In addition, tourism development generates economic growth by increasing foreign exchange income and creating employment opportunities. The rapid growth of tourism has led to the challenge of overtourism as well as conflicts between tourists and residents over the inconvenience caused to residents and the damage caused to the cultural environment due to the cultural differences between the two groups. This phenomenon is relatively more evident at the popular tourist destinations and has aggravated as the number of tourists has grown. This research aims to define the state of overtourism at famous tourist destinations in Japan and classify the level of overtourism based on social media data, primarily from Twitter. As Kyoto is suffering from overtourism, we conduct a comparative study of four other tourist destinations with Kyoto and explore the state of overtourism based on positive and negative expressions collected during January 8 to April 18, 2020. The results show the degree of overtourism for tourism destinations can be classified by the ratio of positive and negative expressions in tweets.

OPTIMALISASI RUTE WISATA DI YOGYAKARTA MENGGUNAKAN METODE TRAVELLING SALESMAN PERSON DAN ALGORITMA BRUTE FORCE

Yogyakarta is one of the popular tourist destinations in Indonesia. There are many tourist sites that can be visited in the city of Yogyakarta, including Prambanan Temple, Breksi Cliff, Van den Berg Museum, and Malioboro. For tourists who are not familiar with these tourist sites, determining the route to be visited is important because it will affect travel costs, especially transportation costs. To solve this problem, the Traveling Salesman Person method and the Brute Force Algorithm are used. The Brute Force algorithm was chosen because of its simple characteristics so that it is easy for all people to understand. The results of the research resulted in the most optimal route with a total cost of Rp. 100,300.00 and the least optimal route with a total cost of Rp. 131,000.00.

The effect of information overload and perceived risk on tourists' intention to travel in the post-COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism economy has been seriously affected. China has implemented a direct traveling management mechanism and recovered from the pandemic faster than the rest of the world. However, the COVID-19 situation is complicated and uncontrollable because of the available unclear information including difficult medical terminologies. This study attempts to find the determinants of the travel intention of China's tourists in the post-COVID-19 epidemic. Along with information overload and perception risk, an expanded research model of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was employed to propose the theoretical framework of this study. A survey was conducted among 518 tourists who spend their holiday in Hainan, which is a popular tourist destination in China. The empirical results show that information overload positively and significantly impacted perceived risk. Furthermore, perceived risk negatively affects the intention to travel. Perceived risk also negatively affected the attitude toward traveling. However, response self-efficacy did not have a significant effect on the intention to travel. Finally, based on the analysis results, this study proposes relevant research contributions and practical recommendations with management implications for the travel industries.

Analysis of Trend and Pattern of Tourists’ Arrival: A Case Study of Desert Tourist Circuit, Rajasthan

Tourism is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world economy particularly in developing countries. It is an important tool for the development of destinations’ economies and provides various socio-cultural and economic benefits such as employment generation, foreign capital exchange, infrastructure development, investment of capital, preservation of heritage sites, etc. Rajasthan is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the world’s map due to its diverse socio-cultural landscape. The desert tourist circuit has immense potential for attracting a large number of domestic as well as foreign tourists. The main aim of this study is to examine the trend and pattern of tourist arrival in the desert tourist circuit. This study is based on the secondary data collected from the Rajasthan tourism development Corporation (RTDC), Jaipur. The annual growth rate and regression analysis have been calculated to achieve the study's objective.

Assessing the Coastal Vulnerability by Combining Field Surveys and the Analytical Potential of CoastSat in a Highly Impacted Tourist Destination

Tropical sandy beaches provide essential ecosystem services and support many local economies. In recent times, however, there has been a massive infrastructure expansion in popular tourist destinations worldwide. To investigate the shoreline variability at a popular tourist destination in Mexico, we used the novel semi-automatic CoastSat program (1980 to 2020) and the climate dataset ERA5 (wave energy and direction). We also measured the beach cross-shore distance and the foredune height with topographic surveys. The results indicate that the section of real estate seafront infrastructure in the study site presents a considerable shoreline erosion due to the fragmentation between the foredune ridge and the beach berm, based on the in situ transects. Moreover, foredune corridors with cross-shore distances of up to 70 to 90 m and dune heights of 8 m, can be seen in the short unobstructed passages between buildings. In the south section we found the coastline in a much more stable condition because this area has not had coastal infrastructures, as of yet. For the most part, the remote sensing analysis indicates constant erosion since 1990 in the real estate section (mainly seafront hotels) and an overall accretion pattern at the unobstructed beach-dune locations. This study demonstrates the catastrophic consequences of beach fragmentation due to unplanned real estate developments, by combining in situ surveys and a freely available big-data approach (CoastSat).