Facing the Challenge of Sustainability in Maritime Tourism

Tourism is an important sector of the European economy. This year’s European Maritime days will focus on ‘Blue Growth’, emphasizing the importance and potential of marine and coastal tourism for the sector’s development and growth.

Recreational activities such as diving, snorkeling, boating, wildlife interactions and shoreline activities can be detrimental to the environment. Furthermore, the recent accident of the Costa Concordia brought back to the centre of the table the debate on maritime tourism pollution.

Mitigating the impacts of maritime tourism on the ecosystem requires an appropriate maritime spatial planning providing long-term stability and predictability, as well as the management of competition for marine space in intensively used areas. This is the reason why European Commission Directorate General (DG) for Enterprise and Industry and DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries will work hand in hand to define a strategy for sustainable coastal and marine tourism.

The meeting will seek to establish the conditions and actions needed to ensure a truly sustainable maritime tourism.

a general appeal was made to go beyond gross domestic product and to adopt an inclusive green economy roadmap in rio

Brussels, 24^th April 2012: 20 years after the first Earth Summit in Rio, making strong political commitments toward more sustainable development is critical. Chaired by MEP Vittorio Prodi and bringing together over 100 participants including policy makers, International Organisations’ representatives and stakeholders, the high-level conference entitled “Towards Rio+20” recalled that the 2012 Summit in Rio will keep the human component at the heart of development by tackling two fundamental aspects: equity and sustainability.

“Countries have to be accountable for the implementation of sustainable development goals,” stated Mr Trio – Director of the Climate Action Network for Europe -, who added that governance, compliance and accountability will be the three key issues tackled in the discussions in June.