The tourism sector should take the lead in marine and coastal conservation

Tourism depends directly on the good health of marine ecosystems. | Photo: Sebastiá Torrens

Aniol EstebanPalma 06/02/2025 14:31

The future and a large part of the benefits of tourism in the Spanish Mediterranean depend on clean waters and coasts full of life. Tourism depends directly on the good health of marine ecosystems. One need only take a stroll around the stands at the annual FITUR tourism fair to see how important the sea and the coast are to its success. The sea provides tourism with a cascade of benefits in the form of leisure opportunities, recreation, climate regulation, and coastal protection. Yet the tourism industry invests very little in its protection and conservation.

At Marilles, we believe that the sector should get involved in issues such as the extension and improvement of marine protected areas, the conservation of habitats and species, and the support of local and sustainable fishing.

Part of the tourism sector has already demonstrated its commitment to conservation and its willingness to move in this direction. This commitment is evident in the large number of companies that support the Balearic Blue Deal and finance some projects. Now, it is time for the sector to go a step further and put its weight and influence at the service of marine conservation.

Tourism can be our best ally in the conservation of the sea and the recovery of habitats and species. However, what could be our best player is still warming up on the sidelines and does not yet seem to want to come onto the pitch and play.

A natural capital accounting system

Right after FITUR tourism fair, it is also good to remember the need to start making visible the social and environmental costs associated with tourism, which are often difficult to monetise. Tourism activity is possible thanks to the good status of the natural environment. The erosion of this environmental condition threatens the future of tourism and the benefits it generates. Investing in the conservation and recovery of ecosystems will therefore improve the sector’s prospects, especially in a context of uncertainty due to climate change and biodiversity loss.

One of the measures that could be promoted by the tourism sector, and which is included in the Balearic Blue Deal, is the implementation of a natural capital accounting system that allows visualising the state of our natural environment and how this affects tourism activity.