Exploring governance challenges in coastal and marine tourism. A comparative analysis of European case studies

Abstract

The increasing attention to land–sea interactions in spatial planning highlights persistent difficulties in integrating terrestrial and maritime governance, particularly in tourism-intensive coastal areas where environmental protection and economic development collide. This article investigates how such tensions are addressed through maritime spatial planning, focusing on the recently adopted Italian Maritime Spatial Plan and its application in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. The study adopts a qualitative research design combining thematic analysis of policy documents with a comparative examination of three coastal and marine contexts: Port-Cros National Park in France, Puck Bay in Poland, and the island of Crete in Greece. These cases are used to explore how different institutional arrangements manage tourism–environment trade-offs across the land–sea interface. The findings show that integrated and participatory governance arrangements, as observed in Port-Cros, support adaptive management of tourism pressures, while fragmented institutional settings, as in Puck Bay, hinder coordination and enforcement. The case of Crete highlights the limitations of sectoral planning in the absence of a fully operational maritime spatial planning framework. The article concludes by discussing implications for the implementation of maritime spatial planning in Friuli Venezia Giulia, emphasizing the role of institutional coordination, participation, and administrative capacity.