Capacità di carico turistica, percezione turistica e disponibilità a pagare in alcune spiagge della Sardegna settentrionale

The study regards the concept of social carrying capacity analyzing how some Sardinian beaches are used by residents and visitors. Beach users’ perception was assessed to understand the behaviors and attitudes to support planning and management by local authorities and beach operators. The survey on users’ perception, conducted through questionnaires and interviews, was carried out in 2015 in different pilot sites to determine the tourist’s preferences and expectations, the beach value and the user’s knowledge about environmental issues. The pilot sites are Alghero (beaches of Lido San Giovanni and Bombarde) and Porto Torres (beaches of Scoglio Lungo and Fiume Santo) because they present at least one urban beach and a non-urban and are representative of different tourist targets. The results point out the predominance of both family and proximity tourism characterized by a regular frequentation and a good knowledge of the place. Non-resident tourists are also important mainly due to the scenic beauty and cleanliness of the sea, for economic reasons or because they have a second-home. Tourists, even not always interested by natural heritage and landscape, attribute a high value to the landscape when choosing a beach. The most critical issues concern safety and services. Furthermore, in all the pilot sites, almost all users consider the beach as a public good and not private. Coastal environmental and management issues are poorly understood by the users, as highlighted by the lack of willingness to pay a contribution “ad personam” to create a fund for preservation interventions of the beach.