How Important Are Blue Flag Awards in Beach Choice? Melville Saayman † * and Andrea Saayman ‡ † TREES (Tourism Research in Economic Environs and Society) North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa ‡ School of Economics North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa ABSTRACT Saayman, M. and Saayman, A., 0000. How important are Blue Flag awards in beach choice? Journal of Coastal Research, 00(0), 000–000. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. South Africa’s almost 3000-km coastline has long stretches of sandy beaches. An important yardstick for measuring their quality is the Blue Flag award, desired by beach and coastal management agencies. This paper investigates whether the Blue Flag status necessarily attracts a different beachgoer. It asks whether clear differences can be found between beachgoers at Blue Flag and non-Blue Flag beaches. Surveys of beachgoers were conducted during summer (March to April 2014) at six beaches near Cape Town and three near Mossel Bay. Four of these nine Western Cape beaches had Blue Flag status. The data from 374 completed questionnaires collected via random sampling were analysed using principal component analysis and logistic regression analysis. The results showed that seven beach-specific attributes attract beachgoers, with the most important ones being beach cleanliness and infrastructure. The results of the logistic regression showed that Blue Flag beachgoers are more likely to be locals, travelling in larger groups and who are motivated to visit the specific beach on the basis of attractiveness. They also regard visual beach cleanliness as more important. The paper has several findings, namely, it identified unique motives for travelling to a beach and it identified the attributes that mattered to beachgoers. It also highlighted the need for educational activities as well as environmental issues. Another important finding is a clear distinction between Blue Flag and non-Blue Flag beachgoers. This innovative study made a contribution in terms of literature and practise. ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS: Marine environment, binary regression models, South Africa, beach tourism. INTRODUCTION Beaches are vital generators of revenue. Worldwide, beach tourism is big business, attracting more tourism trade than any other environmental type (Argardy, 1993; Tudor and Williams, 2006). Beach or marine tourism is defined as recreational activities that involve travel away from one’s place of residence and that have as their host or focus the marine environment (Orams, 1999). In the United States, travel and tourism are the largest industry, employer, and foreign-revenue earner: in 2000, foreign visitors to the United States spent approximately USD 80 billion, 90% of it in coastal states (Nelson et al., 2000). Houston (2013) goes further, stating that beaches are the key element of travel and tourism in the United States. It is estimated that in 2011, 180 million Americans made 2 billion visits to beaches (American Shore and Beach Prevention Association, 2011). For example, Miami Beach alone brings in more revenue than the combined totals for the Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and Yosemite National Parks (Houston, 1996). In Florida, the contribution of beach tourism in 2005 was USD 60 billion (Save Our Shores, 2011) and approximately USD 1.7 billion per year in San Diego County (California Natural Resources Agency, 1997). In Australia, beach tourism brings in AUD 1.9 billion (approximately USD 1.8 billion [exchange rate: 1 AUD ¼ USD 0.963; 2008]) per year in the state of Victoria (Victorian Coastal Council, 2008), and AUD 46 million (approximately USD 44 million) per year in Adelaide (Austra- lian Department of Climate Change, 2009). In Wales in 2003 beach tourists spent GBP 0.7 billion (approximately USD 1.4 billion [exchange rate: 1 GBP ¼ USD 1.992; 2008]) on 4.4 million seaside holiday trips (Wales Tourist Board, 2001, 2004). From a global perspective, Expedia (2012) found in a survey representing 21 countries that beach tourism is by far the favourite destination for the majority of the world’s travellers. These examples highlight the economic value and importance of beaches. Maintaining the quality of a beach is clearly an investment in the tourism economy (Klein, Osleeb, and Viola, 2004). Since the value of a beach will depend on its quality, beach managers need to know which factors matter most to beachgoers. A beach is a diverse, productive, and unique ecosystem rich in biodiversity, made up of macrofauna, meiofauna, and insects. Coastal communities that rely on tourism for their livelihood can have their income severely depleted by pollution and beach litter or bad environmental management (Asafu-Adjaye and Tapsuwan, 2008; Corbin and Singh, 1993; Houston, 2013; Lucrezi, Saayman, and Van der Merwe, 2015). The biggest impact of visible pollution such as litter is not on marine organisms but on the economy, from financial loss due to the reduction of amenities (Windom, 1992). One way to ensure good-quality beaches is to implement beach awards such as the Blue Flag. In emphasising the perceived importance of beach awards, the city of Durban in South Africa announced in 2008 that it would have a loss up to ZAR 100 million (approximately USD 12 million [exchange rate: 1 ZAR ¼ USD 0.127; 2008]) per year if its beaches lose their Blue Flag status (McKenna et al., 2011). DOI: 10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-16-00111.1 received 13 June 2016; accepted in revision 6 October 2016; corrected proofs received 8 January 2017; published pre-print online 28 February 2017. *Corresponding author: Melville.Saayman@nwu.ac.za Ó Coastal Education and Research Foundation, Inc. 2017 Journal of Coastal Research 00 0 000–000 Coconut Creek, Florida Month 0000