Being beside the seaside: Beach use and preferences among coastal residents of south-eastern Australia

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• 作者：Grainne S. Maguire^a ;   ; ^b ;   ; ^{g.maguire@birdsaustralia.com.au} ; Kelly K. Miller^a ;   ; ^{kelly.miller@deakin.edu.au} ; Michael A. Weston^a ;   ; ^{Mike.Weston@deakin.edu.au} ; Kirsten Young^a ;   ; ^{kirsten.young@abs.gov.au}
• 刊名：Ocean and Coastal Management
• 出版年：2011
• 出版时间：October 2011
• 年：2011
• 卷：54
• 期：10
• 页码：781-788
• 全文大小：227 K

文摘

Beaches are the most popular recreational destinations in Australia yet how they are visited and valued by Australians is poorly known. We surveyed 385 people (13.8 % of 2800 coastal residents) from south-eastern Australia to examine their use of beaches and the features that are important in their choice and enjoyment of a beach destination. Most respondents (90.3 % ) nominated beaches as one of their top three most valued natural recreational environments. Thirty-four recreational activities occurred at the beach (8.6?¡À?0.3 [mean?¡À?SE] activities per respondent), mostly walking (91.4 % ) and swimming (78.9 % ). Factor analyses revealed respondents valued clean, uncrowded beaches with opportunities to view wildlife (n?=?338) but also desired facilities (e.g. toilets, shade, life savers, food outlets; n?=?331). Difficult access and intrusive recreation activities (e.g. vehicles on beaches) detracted from people¡äs enjoyment. We describe a distinct dichotomy in use of ¡®local?versus ¡®non-local?beaches, where local beaches are visited more frequently, throughout more of the year, outside working hours and by smaller groups of people, compared with ¡®non-local?beaches. Coastal planners and managers not only face the challenge of increasing visitation to beaches but also the need to manage for somewhat conflicting values among beach-goers.