Page 773 - Economia Azul - versão: inglês

BOX 1. BLUE TOURISM AND SUSTAINABILITY BOX 2. BLUE TOURISM LINKAGE POTENTIAL
The productive activities associated with blue tourism also include, directly Tourism activity makes it possible to increase linkages with other economic
and indirectly, cruises, resorts, and ecotourism, which can produce environ- sectors, which contributes to synergistic and integrated local economic growth.
mental and social impacts related to the exploitation of natural resources and Non-tourism economic sectors also benefit indirectly from backward and forward
local communities themselves, through changes in land use, marine and air linkages, either as a supplier to other industries and sectors, or as a buyer of other
pollution, alteration of biodiversity and consumption of ecosystem materials productive sectors. At the level of individual consumers, it is intuitive to consider that
or services. Thus, in many coastal regions, tourism is seen as an engine of the traveling economic agent demands goods and services from other sectors of the
economic growth and a means of increasing wealth and promoting economic
development at the local level. economy of the tourist destination, such as lodging, accommodation, food, cultural
From a broad perspective of sustainability – including the social, econom- consumption, etc. In this sense, blue tourism allows coastal, marine areas and areas
ic, and environmental dimensions – tourism based on natural resources are with natural landscapes associated with water elements to be considered a potential
transversal aspects. The promotion of ecotourism, for example, would be element for promoting intersectoral linkages, which is also in accordance with the
a strategy that would make it possible to integrate concrete actions to en- definition of Tourist Region adopted by the Ministry of Tourism. (2017).
hance the cultural and natural heritage of the oceans into the blue economy, As a public policy approach, the intersectoral links between tourism and oth-
thus reducing negative externalities in the territories. As a consequence, this er sectors of the economy – such as agriculture, manufacturing, and services
promotion could translate into a broader set of positive effects on blue tour- – gain another perspective when we consider blue elements. In addition to the
ist regions (Scott et al., 2012). Along these lines, Tegar and Gurning (2018) sectorial view, the literature on business and tourism economics points out that
suggest that a focus on blue tourism can guarantee sustainable development in coastal, marine and maritime environments, local economic growth is asso-
in an ecological and social sense, in addition to the purely economic. Accord- ciated with the strengthening of cruise operations and management, coastal
ing to the authors, this development could be fostered from an economic tourism, coastal accommodation management, of beaches and maritime leisure
model focused on ecosystem sustainability which, by definition, would con- activities. In terms of the potential chaining effects of blue tourism, we can con-
template five interdependent principles: (1) Efficiency of natural resources;
(2) Zero waste (circularity); (3) social inclusion (self-reliance, social equality sider that within the social, economic, cultural, environmental, and ecological
and opportunity); (4) cyclical systems of production: endless generation to dimensions, there is room for strengthening and promoting the linkages linked
regeneration, balancing production and consumption, and (5) open innova- to market segmentation, operational planning and efficiency, tourist spending
tion and adaptation (principles of the law of physics and continuous natural purchasing behavior, blue corporate social responsibility, in addition to spatial
adaptation). planning and community development.
Particularly, the tourism sector is dependent on natural resources and marine However, the tourism sector has suffered greatly from the COVID-19 crisis, in
landscapes to meet the preferences of tourists and end consumers in the order to foster discussion on innovative approaches to sustainable tourism and
sectors associated with tourism. When depending on the quality of natural leisure activities that may be directly and indirectly related. Coastal and maritime
ecosystems to attract visitors, it is important to have a specific look at the tourism depends heavily on good environmental conditions and, in particular, on
dimension of sustainability in these regions. Companies and local govern- good water quality. Any maritime or land activity that harms the environment
ments must take into account that the strengthening of institutions around can negatively affect tourism. Coastal areas can also be directly or indirectly af-
the preservation of the environment is something favorable to economic de- fected by a number of climate change-related impacts, such as floods, erosion,
velopment based on the economy and blue tourism. Therefore, coastal and saltwater intrusion, rising air and seawater temperatures, and droughts. In addi-
maritime tourism, as part of the blue economy and tourism, face challenges
at the local and global level related to the interconnection of tourism with tion, ports are also crucial for the economic growth of coastal and inland areas.
the sustainability commitment, such as the Paris Agreement or the 2030 Passenger and cruise transport is an important means for the development of
Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (ODS), with emphasis on maritime and coastal tourism, while freight transport can be seen as a competi-
Ocean Conservation ODS 14. tive activity in terms of space.

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