Beaches destination management – case study Penninsula Pelješac

Tourism destination is a complicated system. Destination system consists of resources which can be natural and anthropogenic. It is necessary to harmonize them and to manage them in proper manner. Coastal area is one of the most valuable natural resources od Republic of Croatia which is well known and recognized as sun, sea&sand destination, and therefore coastal area is crucial for tourism development. Beaches, as part of coastal area, are foundation of competitive advantage, as well as income generator and due to this, there is growing interest in last couple years for possibility of using their recreational and economic potential. Purpose of this paper is, by using quantitative and qualitative analysis, to research beach resources of Peljesac peninsula which will then be used as a foundation for SWOT matrix to determine strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to beaches of this area. For the analysis purpose, beside the secondary data research, there was a field research conducted which covered attitudes of key stakeholders and tourism board management of Peljesac peninsula which together make destination management of beach resources.