Beach resorts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Beach resorts - Essay Example In this context, the analysis of the characteristics of beach resorts requires the reference to beach, which is a prerequisite for the establishment of a beach resort. Beaches are areas that meet the following criteria: ‘a) they are common property, b) they are highly dynamic energy systems and c) tourism is the main coastal activity on them’ (Botero and Hurtado 2009: 133). Beach resorts have been related to specific issues as of their development, management and operations. These issues are highlighted in the literature. In regard to their development, beach resorts need to be aligned with the standards set by local authorities for establishing a business in beach resorts. The above requirement is necessary only for beach resorts that are also used as centers of business activities. This means that all businesses established near beach resorts have to meet specific conditions and cannot expand their operations above the limits set by the relevant laws. When referring to beach resort as a coastal system, then a different approach would be used for explaining its development. The development of such system refers to a series of activities that need to take place so that a beach can be used by people for recreational purposes, which are among the key purposes of the specific systems. In the above case, the term development refers to projects for cleaning the beach and for taking measures so that the safety of any person that would use the beach is secured, as possible. Of course, they are coastal areas in which no development task has taken place and which are often characterized as beaches just because the have the characteristics of such ecosystem. For example, a coastal area which is not organized, being far from a residential area with no access to facilities for covering basic needs, such as food or cleaning, can be considered as a beach, a practice that would not be correct: such place is not a beach but it is a coastal area. Beaches are usuall y organized for providing to their visitors access to basic facilities. In the context of this study emphasis is given on beach resorts as systems related to business activities, such as the Marriott’s Marbella Beach Resort the characteristics of which are explored below. The development of beach resorts as areas where business activities are developed, needs to be combined with appropriate management plans otherwise any expected benefits would be eliminated. More specifically, in the case of beach resorts, management refers to activities such as the monitoring, periodically, of the condition of the beach in terms of litter accumulated, of damages that have been possible caused on certain of the area’s elements due to weather or due to human activities, of pollution caused by residential or business blocks that are established near to the coast and so on. Other activities, such as the gathering of funds for supporting projects required for keeping the beach clean or fo r other needs of the beach, can be also incorporated in beach resort management. In regard to the operations of beach resorts, emphasis should be given to the following fact: the conditions on which the daily operations of a beach resort will be based are set in the context of the resort’s management plan. In the specific plan the objectives that the particular resort has to achieve are defined; these objectives can be achieved only if an effective management plan