Chapter 12 Conclusions and the Future

Abstract

In this book, I have attempted to cover a very broad subject, namely the impact of tourism on the marine environment. The text and the case studies together present the reader with a picture of the situation at the time of writing, which is late 2019 and early 2020. However, the situation is changing rapidly, not least due to the pace at which global warming is affecting the oceans and the rapid growth of the tourism industry in many parts of the world. In this final chapter, I will try to bring everything together and make a number of points by way of a conclusion although I hope that for many readers this chapter will stimulate them to find out more and undertake research that takes our knowledge of this fascinating subject further. Given how important the oceans are to the tourism industry and tourists it is highly surprising, and perhaps almost shocking, how little of the tourism literature focuses on the relationship between tourism and the marine environment. Before we look specifically at this relationship, though, I believe that it is important to start by setting the scene by looking at the ‘big picture’ that provides the context for the relationship between tourism and the marine environment.