Beach Tourism in Times of COVID-19 Pandemic: Critical Issues, Knowledge Gaps and Research Opportunities

Abstract

The strict quarantine measures employed as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic have led the global tourism industry to a complete halt, disrupting the livelihoods of millions. The economic importance of beach tourism for many destinations has led many governments to reopen tourist beaches, as soon as the number of infection cases decreased. The objective of this paper is to provide a scientific basis for understanding the key issues for beach tourism management in these circumstances. These issues include risk perception, environmental considerations directly related to beaches and COVID-19, and management strategies designed to limit the risk of contagion on the beach. The contribution of this paper lies in its interdisciplinary approach to delivering the findings from the latest studies, highly relevant for beach tourism, in psychology, health science, and environmental science (often in preprint and in press format). Particular attention was given to identifying the knowledge gaps evident in the areas of COVID-19 risk perception, with the drivers explaining the risk-taking behavior and the protective strategies employed by beachgoers. Gaps were also found in areas such as the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in bathing waters and the sand, the potential of contaminated sand being a viable route of transmission, and the impact of the use of chemical disinfectants on the marine environment and on bathers. The paper identifies research prospects in these areas, additionally pointing out other questions such as new carrying capacity methods, the opportunity given by COVID-19 in estimation of the impacts of visitation and beach-litter.

On the indirect environmental outcomes of COVID-19: short-term revival with futuristic long-term implications

“…In addition, the policy of social distancing implemented by most countries has resulted in the cleaning of beaches, as tourists accumulate waste when visits the beaches (Zielinski and Botero 2020). A significant reduction in noise levels has also been observed.…”

Beachgoer perceptions on health regulations of COVID-19 in two popular beaches on the Brazilian Amazon

“…Worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in 82,401,834 confirmed cases and 1,801,280 deaths so far, based on the data available up to December 31st. In an attempt to stem the advance of the disease, governments around the world have implemented preventive measures such as lockdowns, strict social distancing, and travel bans, which have resulted in estimated economic losses of hundreds of billions of dollars, in particular in the tourism sector, which was severely affected ( Ormaza-González and Castro-Rodas, 2020 ; Zielinski and Botero, 2020 ).…”

Nature Tourism on the Colombian—Ecuadorian Amazonian Border: History, Current Situation, and Challenges

“…The literature review has shown that political and health crises generate instability and a significant impact on the tourism industry [6,62,63], generating negative effects such as the decrease in visitors that has resulted in low economic income. There is evidence of cases that have gone through similar episodes and have never been able to recover, but there is also evidence of destinations that have applied good strategies and their recovery has been evident [32,40].…”

“…Due to global border closures, tourism has been one of the sectors most affected by the coronavirus pandemic [5]. The crisis is unprecedented in size and scope, and has affected the livelihoods of millions of people around the world [6,7]. In this period, USD 320 billion in tourism exports were lost, more than triple the losses during the global financial crisis of 2009 [8].…”