On 17 December 2025, the Blue Tourism Initiative’s representatives, Angelo Sciacca, project coordinator, and Giulia Balestracci, project officer, contributed to the BlueDots Online Capacity-Building Workshop on Sustainable Blue Tourism, an international forum dedicated to strengthening capacities, dialogue, and cooperation around one of the most critical sectors of the global blue economy.

The workshop brought together policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and coastal stakeholders to reflect on the future of coastal and maritime tourism and to explore pathways toward more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive models—particularly in regions facing mounting environmental and socio-economic pressures.

Giulia Balestracci presented that the state of play of blue tourism — often referred to as coastal and maritime tourism — accounts for at least 50% of global tourism activity and supports millions of jobs and livelihoods worldwide. It is also the largest employment sector within the blue economy, accounting for around 60% of blue economy jobs globally. She explained the dependence of blue tourism on healthy marine and coastal ecosystems, which are increasingly threatened by climate change, pollution and cumulative pressures from multiple blue economy activities. She stressed the relevance of blue tourism governance, requiring:

• Integrated spatial and sectoral planning;
• Multi-level and multi-stakeholder coordination
• Evidence-based decision-making supported by indicators and monitoring tools;
• Adaptive strategies that balance economic activity with ecological integrity.
  
  

In his intervention, Angelo Sciacca, presented how BTI works to bridge the gap between local sustainable tourism practices and global governance processes.
Angelo highlighted BTI’s approach, which is grounded in pilot projects across three marine regions—the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and the Western Indian Ocean. These pilots aim to align sustainable tourism practices, community resilience, and the well-being of coastal and marine ecosystems, generating practical learning outcomes that can inform governance improvements at both regional and global scales.

Finally, Angelo emphasised that lessons learned from local pilots are scaled up through flagship initiatives, notably the Mediterranean Sustainable Blue Tourism Flagship under the MSSD and the Ocean Tourism Pact, reinforcing BTI’s role in enhancing regional cooperation, policy coherence, and capacity-building for a more resilient and sustainable blue tourism sector.

Looking Ahead

Participation in the BlueDots workshop reaffirmed the value of capacity-building platforms that connect research, policy, and practice. Sustainable blue tourism is not a one-size-fits-all solution; it requires context-sensitive approaches, long-term governance commitments, and strong regional partnerships.

The Blue Tourism Initiative remains committed to supporting this transition by advancing evidence-based policymaking, strengthening regional and cross-regional cooperation, and contributing to a shared vision for a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive future for coastal and maritime tourism.