News

The Blue Tourism Initiative NewsLetter by IDDRI

Paris, France – October 2024

In 2023, tourism contributed 9.1% of the global GDP, both directly and indirectly–a 23% increase from 2022; and 2024 is expected to set new records. The cruise sector, a major market segment, also rebounded in 2023, with 31.7 million passengers, 7% above 2019 levels. Projections suggest that this number could reach 40 million by 2027.

Coastal regions are particularly impacted by this ongoing growth in tourism. In the Mediterranean, which accounts for about one-third of international tourism, warning signs are becoming increasingly apparent. Tourism exerts pressure on already fragile natural ecosystems and, in some cases, has sparked strong protests from local communities vulnerable to the destabilization of key sectors, especially housing. Similarly, in the Caribbean, communities highlight threats to their natural and cultural heritage, the monopolization of prime beachfront land for hotel development, and the exclusion of small and micro businesses from the tourism value chain–issues that leave them with little to gain from the sector’s growth. These negative effects are also emerging in regions that are beginning to open up to tourism, such as the Western Indian Ocean.

On paper however, tourism policies have seen a significant shift in recent years. Traditional national strategies focused on growth and mass tourism are increasingly being replaced or supplemented by sustainability-driven approaches. But these new directions are being formalized and implemented in varying ways and at different paces, depending on the country and destination. Moreover, the necessary transformation towards greater sustainability requires associated robust political and economic strategies, which are often lacking government support. In this context, there would be many advantages to integrating tourism-related issues more firmly into the ocean governance agenda, which currently largely excludes them. More broadly, such integration would allow for the development of transnational policies–on a regional scale, for example – helping to prevent the harmful effects of competition between States and destinations, which often leads to insufficient attention being paid to sustainability requirements.

PUBLICATIONS

Policy Pathways Towards a More Sustainable Cruise Sector – Working Document

This report examines the global state of cruise tourism, providing updated market data. After discussing its main impacts, the report provides a critical outline of this sector governance with the description of its key actors, and the main international and regional regulatory frameworks.

Sustainable Blue Tourism in the Western Indian Ocean: Trends, Challenges, and Policy Pathways

This report reviews the state of play of blue tourism in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO), including trends, challenges, and its current policy and governance landscape. It proposes policy opportunities and potential directions to foster a more enabling environment for the sustainability of the sector.

Mapping the Impact of Blue Tourism in the Mediterranean: Vulnerability Assessment of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems

This report provides a spatial assessment of the vulnerability of the Mediterranean region to tourism activities linked to coastal and marine areas pre and post COVID-19.

Towards Sustainable Blue Tourism in the Caribbean: Policy pathways to support coastal and marine community-based tourism.

This report represents a diagnostic study that explores opportunities and pathways to support the coastal Community-Based Tourism development in the Caribbean region.