Sustainable Coastal Tourism: Challenges for Management, Planning, and Education
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SUSTAINABLE COASTAL TOURISM: CHALLENGES FOR MANAGEMENT, PLANNING, AND EDUCATION Marc L. Miller School of Marine Affairs University of Washington (U.S.A.) Jan Auyong Oregon Sea Grant College Program Oregon State University (U.S.A.) Nina P. Hadley Tidal Delta Consulting (U.S.A.) Abstract: Coastal tourism development is an eller returneth home, let him not leave inherently controversial and increasingly com- the countries where he hath travelled al- plex phenomenon that forces deliberation over together behind him, but maintain a marine life and habitat conservation, economic correspondence by letters with those of improvement, and quality of life objectives. With his acquaintance which are of most this situation, the ideal of sustainable coastal worth.” tourism has found much support by brokers who --- Francis Bacon, The Essays control tourism, locals who witness tourism, and (1985 [1625]: 114) varieties of (eco)tourists. Mechanisms that have shown potential for shaping coastal tourism sys- In the seventeenth century at the time the tems in positive ways include tourism manage- Grand Tour was just taking shape as a tour- ment, tourism planning, and tourism education. istic institution and rite of passage in However, the attainment of sustainable coastal Europe, Francis Bacon recommended in his tourism goals will also depend on multidiscipli- essay “Of Travel” that tourists who gain an nary tourism research, enhanced broker-broker education in foreign lands not only prepare communication and cooperation, and the com- for their trips but also maintain “a corre- mitment of tourists to be alert to ecological and spondence” with people encountered. To- cultural consequences of their travel. day, the obligations of tourists (and those in government and commerce who promote Keywords: sustainable development, coastal tourism) have expanded. Sustainable tour- tourism systems, tourism brokers, tourism lo- ism requires understanding of the cultural cals, tourists, tourism ethics and sociological, the economic and political, and the ecological and biological conse- quences of travel. Introduction Coastal tourism is a process involving tour- “A [young man traveling] must have ists and the people and places they visit, some entrance into the language before particularly the coastal environment and its he goeth. … Let him carry with him natural and cultural resources. Most coastal also some card [map] or book describing tourism takes place along the shore and in the country where he travelleth, which the water immediately adjacent to the shore- will be a good key to his inquiry. Let line. Today, tourists travel to the coastal him keep also a diary. … When a trav- zone for parts of a day, for weekends, for 4 Miller, Auyong and Hadley short vacations, and for prolonged stays. modations and attractions, and by provid- Depending on the circumstances, they may ing touristic and recreational products and travel alone, with family, or in groups. They services. Competing marketing programs of may stay in coastal tourism accommoda- a multifaceted industry alert tourists and tions ranging from small residences and would-be travelers to coastal tourism prop- camping sites rented out as opportunities erties, amenities and activities. In fact, arise, to single bed-and-breakfast and hotel many coastal tourism activities count as a rooms, to luxury suites in resort enclaves. business for those in the tourism industry Some coastal tourism is organized for a spe- and as an experience for tourists. Scuba div- cial purpose such as ecotourism, adventure ing, for example, provides an excellent ex- tourism, scientific tourism, and dive tour- ample of how advances in technology have ism. As with other human endeavors in the provided foundations for business and have coastal zone associated with development, facilitated touristic access to the marine en- tourism is viewed positively by some for the vironment. Other coastal activities that have opportunities it creates, while others con- a business aspect (involving, for example, demn coastal tourism for its unacceptable guides and instructors, or special equip- consequences. ment) include recreational and sportfishing, boating, sailing and parasailing, and whale Coastal tourism destinations fall along an and bird watching. Then too, there are many urban-rural continuum. At one end of the forms of coastal tourism—swimming and scale are major cities and ports (Hong Kong, body surfing, snorkeling, beachcombing, Venice, New York, Rio de Janeiro, and Syd- hiking and rock climbing, sketching and ney come to mind) known for their cultural, painting, photographing, sightseeing—that historical, and economic significance. At the are “free,” but for which costs to providers other end of the continuum are the rela- are recovered indirectly through taxes, or tively isolated and pristine coastlines found are incorporated in standard hotel or ac- around the world that are valued for their commodation billing practices. natural beauty, flora and fauna. Of course, many coastal tourism destinations offer rich Coastal tourism is inherently controversial. mixtures of cultural, historical, social, envi- At the same time that coastal tourism fosters ronmental, and other values to visitors. economic relationships between industry producers and tourist consumers, the proc- Coastal tourism technologies of travel in- ess has shown itself to be an enormously clude both those which carry tourists from potent force in transforming the natural en- their homeland (e.g., airplanes, ships, cars, vironment and the lives of people who are buses, and trains) and which are regarded neither part of the business of tourism nor a by travelers as mere means to the end of member of the community of tourists. The arriving at destinations, and those which coastal zone is a scarce resource prized not transport tourists at coastal destinations but only by those who engage in and profit by which become part of the touristic experi- tourism, but also by those with personal ence (e.g., cruise ships, high-speed catama- residences near the sea, and those who find rans, personal watercraft, sailboats, dive employment in fishing, aquaculture, mari- boats, motorcycles, and bicycles). Transpor- time shipping, nuclear energy, and national tation technologies can, depending on the defense, among other industries. Congestion circumstance, be important for being both and competition in the coastal zone frames convenient and for being interesting or the characterization and the resolution of pleasing. tourism issues. Coastal tourism problems and opportunities are therefore properly In a manner of speaking, tourism is a matter debated as “multiple-use” or “multiple- of supply and demand. With this perspec- value” conflicts. tive, coastal tourism is a business for those who make a living by developing accom- Miller, Auyong and Hadley 5 Magnitude of Coastal Tourism • According to Cruise Lines Interna- tional Association figures, the num- Although there are no standardized prac- ber of North American cruise vaca- tices for reporting tourism statistics within tioners in 2000 was nearly 6.9 mil- the coastal zone, it is not difficult to see how lion, an increase of nearly 17% over tourism has a major coastal aspect. Only the previous year (Bridges, 2002: several dozen out of well over 200 nations in 192). the world lack coastlines (Miller and • The Pacific Asia Travel Associa- Auyong, 1991b: 80-89). Of the world’s top tion’s (PATA) Pacific statistical re- 15 tourism destination countries in 2000, 12 gion (composed of Australia, New were countries having coastlines (WTO, Zealand, American Samoa, the Cook 2001: 2). Islands, Fiji, Guam, Hawaii, New Caledonia, the Northern Mariana Is- International Trends lands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, World Tourism Organization (WTO) statis- Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tahiti, tics confirm that tourism is the world’s larg- Tonga, and Vanuatu) has benefited est industry as measured by the number of from an annual (visitor) arrival people involved and by economic impacts. growth rate of 3.6% since the mid International tourism arrivals totaled 693 1990s (Bridges, 2002: 148). million in 2001 (WTO, 2002: 1). By the year • Sun, beautiful beaches, and warm 2020, it is estimated that international tourist ocean waters have become standard arrivals will reach over 1.56 billion. Statisti- vacation requirements for many cal estimations for total tourist arrivals by tourists. Forty-nine percent of those region show that in 2020 the top three re- visiting the Caribbean do so for the ceiving regions will be Europe (717 million beaches, while 28 percent are pri- tourists), East Asia and the Pacific (397 mil- marily interested in sightseeing, and lion tourists), and the Americas (282 million 17 percent in water sports. More- tourists), followed by Africa, the Middle over, roughly 25% of the jobs in the East, and South Asia (WTO, 2001: 6). Caribbean are directly or indirectly tourism related (Bridges, 2002: 93- In 1995, travel and tourism generated an 94). estimated USD$3.4 trillion in gross output creating employment for 212 million people US Trends and producing nearly 11% of the world In 2000, the number of international visitors gross domestic product (WTO, 2001: 2). In- to the US totaled 50.9 million persons, a ternational tourism receipts for 2001 value second only to that of France (75 mil- amounted to USD$463 billion (WTO, 2002: lion) The US ranked first in the world in 1). 2000 in generating USD$85.2 billion in tour- ism receipts (excluding international trans- A selection of international trends and sta- port) (WTO figures reported in Bridges, tistics illustrates the significance of tourism 2002: 6). to coastal economies: • According to the International Fund The Office of Travel and Tourism Industries for Animal Welfare (IFAW), whale- (Department of Commerce) anticipates that watching is a billion-dollar world- the number of international visitor arrivals wide industry (Bridges, 2001: 5). to the US in 2002 will reach 46.7 million, a • Gamefish tournaments and derbies 2.2% increase over the figure for the previ- which attract international anglers ous year (Travel Industry Association of are proliferating throughout the Pa- America, 2002a: 3).