As well as bearing in mind that these estimates are for the
inelastic supply of the short run, these loss estimates must be
taken as a lower bound because the district prices used are the
average minimum price for one person per night, which can be
seen as low season prices and for the minimum accommodation
standard. Moreover, only three categories of accommodation
are included in the cost calculation. In Schleswig-
Holstein, nearly 6 million nights were spent in self-catering
accommodation in 2004, which are not included in the calculation.
Furthermore, accommodation is not the only source
of revenue from tourism; therefore, changes in the demand for
holidays at the coast will also affect the demand for other
tourism services, such as food services and transport.
Through beach nourishment it is possible to protect the
coastline as well as maintaining the touristically important
beach. In the past, beachnourishmenthas been carried out inthe
district of Westerland every 6 years costing approximately €3.6
million on each occasion. The total costs of beach nourishment
for the island of Sylt are estimated at€5million per annum(Amt
für Land-undWasserwirtschaft Husum, 1997). Dikes would be a
costly alternative: costs would arise through construction and
maintenance and through the loss of revenue from tourism.