Tourism is considered one of the world's largest industries and one of the fastest growing economic sectors. Tourism, like any other economic sector, uses resources, generates waste, and creates negative environmental, cultural, and social impacts. However, tourism also creates benefits as it contributes to local, regional, and national economies, and it may also foster conservation if a portion of the generated revenues is invested in protection. This research provides an overview of the direct relationship between tourism, sustainability, and the natural and socioeconomic environments. This study analyzes the impact of tourism development on two small coastal communities in Mexico: Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa and Puerto Progreso. Both communities have unique natural and cultural assets, which are their principal attraction. In both cases, tourism is their main economic activity. This study also analyzes the conflicts and challenges that local authorities and residents of these communities face over the use and control of resources. Tourism-base coastal communities utilize pristine beaches, historic landmarks, scenic ecosystems, and sites with unique flora and fauna as main attraction. Such tourism communities seek economic benefits from visitors, which often come at the cost of maintaining their socio-cultural integrity. Tourism is considered an important engine of economic growth for local, regional, and even national economies because it contributes to a significant portion of foreign revenues. But, if not well planned, tourism can negatively impact communities. This study suggests that coastal tourism and environmental, social, and cultural changes are correlated. The findings here suggest that the coastal zone in both case studies is becoming densely developed. Hence, both case studies here presented and their natural and local assets that attract and support tourism, face increasing pressures and changes. This research focuses not only in the complexity of tourism problems experienced within small coastal communities, but it also present a comprehensive approach to coastal zone management and sustainable development. It attempts to demonstrate that when adopting sustainable strategies, small tourism-oriented communities can significantly enhance natural environments, maximize tourism's economic benefits, and protect their cultural assets, while becoming more competitive.

Many coastal areas around the world are experiencing dramatic landscape changes as a result of increased tourism development and the "sea change phenomenon" – the migration of affluent urbanites to small coastal towns seeking beautiful, natural surroundings. In response to these changes local residents in these places often complain that the distinctive character of their towns and/or individual neighborhoods is being lost or degraded. Coastal Towns in Transition looks at how changes due to unsympathetic development of the built environment and modification of the natural landscape are perceived to negatively impact on the character of small coastal towns. The book explores the concept of town character, and associated notions of sense of place, genius loci and place identity, as conceptualised by local residents in several coastal town communities along Australia’s Great Ocean Road. Findings of a four-year study involving over 1800 respondents from these communities are used to explore theoretical and methodological issues associated with the assessment of place character in the context of coastal towns that are experiencing rapid environmental change. This book will be of interest to planners and environmental designers, as well as scholars in both landscape studies and social science and planning fields who are interested in the sustainable development of coastal areas. The case studies and associated planning and design strategies, together with the bibliography of selected relevant literature, will provide an invaluable reference for these scholars.

The first text to take a truly inter-disciplinary approach to critically examining the impacts of tourism on marine environments and coastal regions, focusing on the negative environmental impacts but also looking at the social and economic impacts.

Tourism and Degrowth develops a conceptual framework and research agenda for exploring the relationship between tourism and degrowth. Rapid and uneven expansion of tourism as a response to the 2008 economic crisis has proceeded in parallel with the rise of social discontent concerning so-called "overtourism." Meanwhile, despite decades of concerted global effort to achieve sustainable development, socioecological conflicts and inequality have rarely reversed, but in fact increased in many places. Degrowth, understood as both social theory and social movement, has emerged within the context of this global crisis. However, thus far the vibrant degrowth discussion has yet to engage systematically with the tourism industry in particular, while, by the same token, tourism research has largely neglected explicit discussion of degrowth. This volume brings the two discussions together to interrogate their complementarity. Identifying a growth imperative in the basic structure of the capitalist economy, the contributors contend that mounting critique of overtourism can be understood as a structural response to the ravages of capitalist development more broadly. Debate concerning overtourism thus offers a valuable opportunity to re-politicise discussion of tourism development generally. Exploring of the potential for degrowth to facilitate a truly sustainable tourism, Tourism and Degrowth will be of great interest to scholars of tourism, environmental sustainability and development. The chapters were originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Sustainable Tourism.

P.P. Wong ABSTRACT Tourism is environmentally dependent. The unique character ofcoastal areas gives rise to a distinctive tourist development. Although accounts on the impacts ofcoastal tourism can be found in works relating to tourism in general, there are few works specifically on coastal tourism. This present volume focuses on the physical environment of coastal tourism, particularly the geomorphological aspects. The papers deal with basic aspects of the coastal environment for tourism, methodologies for assessing the coastal environment for tourism and empirical studies of various types of coastal environment with tourism development. The resultinggeneralisations are expected to be applied elsewhere. TOURISM AND ENVIRONMENT Environment has various meanings for tourism. In its broadest sense, the environment includes all natural and cultural elements as in OECD's (1981) definition to encompass the natural, built and cultural aspects. This holistic approach is encouraged in understanding the potential impacts arising from tourism. A narrower meaning of environment is the natural and built environment as used by Cohen (1978) and Inskeep (1991: 339). Environment can also be restricted to the natural or physical environment, in order to distinguish it from the economic and social aspects of tourism, as used by tourism researchers (e.g. Mathieson and Wall, 1982; Pearce, 1989). This approach is used predominantly in this volume. Various relationships between tourism and the physical aspects ofthe coast are discussed. There are basic relationships between environment and tourism. Tourism is environmentally dependent and the environment is vulnerable to the impact of tourism.

The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) represent the first ever international instrument dedicated to small-scale fisheries. They represent a global consensus on principles and guidance for small-scale fisheries governance and development. They were developed for small-scale fisheries in close collaboration with representatives of small-scale fisheries organizations in a participatory process between 2011-13, involving over 4000 stakeholders; facilitated by FAO, based on a mandate by COFI. They are directed at all those involved in the sector and intend to guide and encourage governments, fishing communities and other stakeholders to work together and ensure secure and sustainable small-scale fisheries for the benefit of small-scale fishers, fish workers and their communities as well as for society at large.

Pandemics, Disasters, Sustainability, Tourism examines the resilience of Caribbean SIDS and their tourism industries from the perspectives of culture, economy, environment, politics, psychology, social justice, and socio-historical context.

This book provides comprehensive insight into the challenges faced by island tourism destinations and theoretical and practical paths for built in sustainability and resiliency. It explores Island Tourism Resilience within the context of ‘Lifecycles, System Decline and Resilience’. Tourism is a key activity for many islands, and some depend on the tourism sector as a main economic activity. An exploration of islands across the globe that addresses substantial matters of ongoing sustainability and resiliency is ever important. An array of challenges including natural disasters, climate change, economic and political crises among others has been addressed in the book, with additional areas such as overtourism and COVID-19 included at the conclusion. This volume is essential reading for academics, tourism planners and policy makers seeking to develop sustainable and resilient island destinations. With a new Foreword, Introduction, Conclusion and Afterword, the chapters in this book were originally published in the journal, Tourism Geographies.

Intended as a guide for wildlife managers and ecotourism operators, as well as interested ecotourists, this book addresses the biological principles governing how ecotourism affects wildlife. The introductory chapters focus on four key responses to human visitation—behavioral, physiological, ecological, and evolutionary. Readers will discover ecotourism’s effects on biodiversity in connection with various industries that are habitat or taxonomically specific: fish tourism (including both freshwater and marine), marine mammal tourism, the huge industry centered on terrestrial animals, and the well-studied industry of penguin tourism. Given that the costs and benefits of ecotourism cannot be meaningfully assessed without understanding the human context, particular attention is given to how ecotourism has been used as part of community development. In closing, the book synthesizes the current state of knowledge regarding best practices for reducing human impacts on wildlife. The final chapter highlights key research questions that must be addressed to provide more evidence-based guidelines and policy.