Award effect in the sustainable management of beach destinations: The case of Algarve

The concept of sustainability, which has become a concern in all areas of life, is now one of the essentials in the context of destination management. Considering that nothing is eternal, destinations' ability to continue their existence successfully and to maintain and/or move forward their positions in the competitive environment depends on a successful destination management process. Considering the beaches, which are one of the most widely used supply elements of tourism, as autonomous destinations, requires the management of the beaches with a coordinated destination management due to their unique characteristics. It is known that the economic return of beach destinations is very high but not certain, it is also the ecosystems that host various living species and the natural beauties where both the local people and the visitors relax and participate in recreational activities. Therefore, in the management of beach destinations, sustainability should be seen as a necessity rather than an expectation. There are various corporate or private award programs and certificates that can demonstrate the quality of beaches around the world. The award program, which constitutes the study area of this research, is the World Travel Awards, known as the Oscars of Tourism in the World. The frequency of winning the award of the Algarve region of Portugal, which has won the best beach destination award eight times in the last 10 years, formed the starting point of this study. The aim of the study is to investigate whether the awards Algarve has won have an effect on the sustainable destination management of the Algarve and to create a sustainable destination management model for beach destinations. In this context, within the scope of this research, it was carried out with a phenomenological design and qualitative method. Data were obtained through semi-structured in-depth interviews and observation records. Semi-structured interviews were done with 27 participants from different stakeholder representatives, including public institutions, private sector, NGOs, academics and local people, using different purposive sampling methods. According to the findings of the study, it has been determined that the Algarve provides destination management in environmental, socio-cultural and economic terms. It has been revealed that the destination management organization has a major role in this. In addition, the continuity of the awards in the Algarve has been a motivation factor in the sustainable destination management process. Finally, research findings were discussed and suggestions for practice and researchers were listed.