Sustainable tourism for marine recreation providers

In this era of the global economy, tourism has become a primary source of revenue for many regions of the world, generating nearly $500 billion in worldwide revenues in 2001, and continuing to grow (WTO, 2001). The United Nations Environment Program recently facilitated a study which points out that the tourism industry now represents more than 10% of the world’s gross domestic product (UNEP, 2002). While tourism brings significant benefits for both local and global economies, its rapid growth and development in recent decades has caused widespread social and environmental change across the globe, particularly in popular coastal resort destinations. In contrast, the concept of sustainable tourism is now seen as a way to promote socio-economic development in a given region while simultaneously protecting local culture and the natural environment.