The Use of the Sea for Recreation and Tourism

Abstract

We are fortunate to be alive at an unique time in history. The beginning of the third millennium is a natural point at which we should pause, look back and consider many things. The increasing influence that humans and our activities have had on the health and functioning of our planet is one of those things. When considering this, one of the issues of significance is the important role that oceans, coasts and harbours have played in the history of human societies. We should also consider the influence that humans and their activities have had on those marine environs. While the marine environment has certainly been central to human activities throughout history, it is only in the latter part of the twentieth century that its use has become all encompassing. Only 50 years ago many parts of the marine world were unexplored and inaccessible to almost all, now however, there are few locations and few species on our marine planet that have escaped the effects of humans. Probably the most recent and most dramatically increasing use of our seas is our use of them for recreation. In particular the rapid rise of the tourism industry has had a marked impact on the marine world, there are now few locations that humans do not visit for recreational purposes. The marine world has become a playground with few boundaries.