Tourism and the blue economy

Abstract

The blue economy is formally recognized by the United Nations as a term that aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of economic activity that takes place within or through ocean and freshwater bodies of water. Optimally, the blue economy subscribes to sustainable economic principles and a set of guidelines to ensure the protection of all marine and freshwater resources and ecosystem services. All marine forms of tourism, coastal tourism and freshwater tourism activities are part of the blue economy and has made a significant contribution towards sustainable economic practices in these spaces. However, there is a lack of consensus about what the blue economy is, how it should be measured and how to regulate sustainable performances across multiple diverse sectors of activity. This presents tourism scholars with an opportunity to make a contribution to the development of this concept and to ensure that tourism related activities are sufficiently accounted for in the planning and policy development of blue economies around the world.