The Oder Estuary - IOW

Schernewski, G. & T. Dolch (eds.): The Oder Estuary – against the background of the European Water Framework
Directive. Marine Science Reports 57 (2004). ISSN: 0939-396X.
Die Auswirkungen der Wasserqualität auf den Tourismus -
Eine Studie am Beispiel des Oderästuars
The impact of water quality on tourism - A case study at the Oder
Estuary
Tobias Dolch
Baltic Sea Research Institute Warnemünde, Seestraße 15, D-18119 Rostock, Germany
Email: tobias.dolch@io-warnemuende.de
Summary
The Oder Estuary is located at the German-Polish border at the south-western coast of the Baltic
Sea. It consists of the Szczecin Lagoon, Usedom and Wolin Island and the Pomeranian Bay. The
Szczecin Lagoon shows severe eutrophication due to high discharge of nutrients by the Oder River
(4,922 t phosphorous and 76,973 t nitrogen in 1995, HELCOM 1998). The eutrophication effects are
not that pronounced and less obvious in the Pomeranian Bay at the seaside of Usedom and Wolin
due to intensive water exchange with the open Baltic Sea.
At the same time, bathing tourism during summer can be found at the open Baltic Sea on Usedom
and Wolin Island as well as at the southern coast of the Szczecin Lagoon. Tourism is an important
economic factor along the Oder Estuary. In 2001, 6.6 millions overnight stays and an annual
growth rate of 14.5 % were registered on Usedom Island. In contrast to this, tourism at the southern
coast of the Szczecin Lagoon is poorly developed (121,337 overnight stays in 1999).
The aim of this study is to investigate if water quality is a crucial factor for tourists. Does it affect
their choice of the holiday destination? And therefore, does a poor water quality hamper touristic
development? How efficient are evaluation standards for water quality? Do they really coincide
with what tourists subjectively regard as poor or good water quality? And how successful is the
blue flag as an exclusive eco label for high environmental standards and good infrastructure at the
beach which it is demanding to be?
To answer these questions a tourist survey was carried out in August 2001. Altogether 449 tourists
were interviewed on Usedom Island (256) as well as at the southern coast of the Szczecin Lagoon
(193).
The results show that water quality is not of decisive importance. Tourists are not really aware of
water quality problems. They can not really distinguish between a good and moderate poor water
quality or simply do not care about it. Tourists choose their holiday destination on the basis of
accommodation prices, touristic infrastructure and ambience. But water quality can become
important for tourism: if it is so poor that the signs and effects are obvious enough to be noticed by
tourists. In this case tourists do response and avoid tourist destinations with a poor water quality. In
this regard blue algae blooms become important because they are potentially toxic and occur often
during summer. The study also shows that there are obvious differences between water quality
evaluation criteria by tourists and by official standards. This can result in different markings. The
study also makes clear that the blue flag – despite its high demands as an exclusive eco label – is
hardly known by tourists.