Chapter 1 Introduction All at Sea

Abstract

For centuries now, the sea has been at the very heart of tourism. For hundreds of millions of people worldwide, going on vacation still means going to the coast, particularly for their annual summer break. This magnetic pull of the sea motivates millions of people every week, from Stockholm to Sydney, New York to New Delhi, to head to their favourite beaches and seaside resorts. The lure of the sea makes them willing to put up with the hassles of modern airline travel and being stuck for hours in huge traffic jams so they can spend a few days each year by the ocean. What they do when they arrive at the coast, however, varies dramatically from tourist to tourist. For some they are content just to drink in the views, take photos and sit in their car viewing the sea through their windscreens. For others it means lying on the beach soaking up the sun, people-watching or playing ball games. Some tourists come to enjoy the man-made attractions that develop wherever tourists make their annual seasonal migration to the ocean. This can mean everything from casinos to theme parks, gift shops to theatres. In these cases, the sea is simply a backdrop to the vacation, with little real interaction with it on the part of the visitor.