Marine Tourism and the Blue Economy: Perspectives from the Mascarene and Pacific Islands

Abstract

AbstractThe blue economy is built on the principle that socio-economic progress can occur in tandem with environmental protection and sustainable resource extraction. Nations with coastal and ocean-based economies have struggled to realize the promise of the blue economy without taking conciliatory measures. Island nations are especially affected due to their overwhelming reliance on marine tourism and related activities and disproportionate susceptibility to climate change and fluctuating touristic demands. Not all island nations are the same and national ocean economies can be vastly different, dictated by complex geopolitics, cultural models, and social value systems. We explore these facets further through two contrasting case studies from two remarkably different corners of the world—the island of Mauritius in the western Indian Ocean and Pacific Island Countries and Territories. We recommend that marine tourism, the largest component of the Islands’ blue economy, must be handled as an anthropogenic stressor subject to environmental assessments, regulatory enforcement, and adaptive mitigation measures. Further, tourism fees levied by different island nations should proportionally allocate funds towards periodic monitoring and restoration evaluation studies. Findings from such studies could facilitate participatory decision-making processes and build marine environment and tourism resilience against global disruptions, climate change, and severe habitat loss.KeywordsMarine tourismClimate changeMarine biodiversitySmall islands