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Tourism is a major component of economic growth all
over the world. Especially in coastal areas where it
is also a for sustainable development. Tourism is expected
to exert an increasing influence on coastal landscape,
ecosystem and cultural
heritage management.
Coastal tourism, as well as tourism in general, is
to a large extent dependant on an environment that is
attractive to visitors. Consequently, protection of
natural and cultural heritage is a precondition for
sustainable coastal tourism. Protecting areas and sites
constitutes an efficient and necessary way of safeguarding
natural and cultural heritage. Therefore, such areas
contribute strongly to sustainable coastal tourism,
even though a sound balance between protection and development
has to be strived for in each individual case.
This is why the nations of the world have committed
themselves to the sustainable development of their natural
and cultural heritage by signing international
agreements. Some of them specifically address coastal
zones but the majority is more general and wide ranging.
Natural heritage includes biodiversity, natural scenery,
value for outdoor recreation, etc. and is best managed
in line with the requirements of the Convention
on Biological Diversity.
Two main objectives of the Convention are:
- the conservation of biological diversity;
- the sustainable use of its components.
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