Emerging Opportunities in Blue Tourism

Abstract

The ocean has intrinsic value that attracts people for various reasons including residence and recreation. Blue tourismhas become one of the most popular forms of tourism in coastal and marine environments. This commentary considers the emerging opportunities in the blue tourism sector, which refers to the application of sustainability practices in coastal and marine tourism. The paper considers the therapeutic nature of the ocean environment and how this may be linked to health tourism, which includes wellness tourism and medical tourism. Water has been proven to be very effective as a therapeutic agent and combining these characteristics with tourism creates unique opportunities for blue tourism businesses. The ocean also has strong spiritual value to many different cultural and religious groups, and this can be a valuable draw card for cultural heritage and religious tourists. Tourism products could include packages that allow tourists to witness unique cultural practices that take place in and around the ocean. With blue tourism, and its implicit link to sustainability, there is significant potential for tourism to help reach some of the seventeen United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The commentary further considers emerging issues for blue tourism in a post-COVID-19 environment as they relate to technological advancements through virtual and augmented reality experiences.