ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests a set of best practices for promoting reduced-impact snorkel tourism on coral reefs. Components of the tours that are considered include visitor to staff ratio, vessel power, vessel carrying capacity, site traffic, educational programmes, sunscreen policy, products used aboard vessels and products used to clean vessels. The implications of the management of these areas of impacts by the large-scale or mass tourism industry are considered and compared to the impacts that might be expected from smaller scale, specialised niche tourism experiences. The various day-tour components examined include vessel platforms, snorkel site traffic and potential for interpretation and education programmes. In summary, a set of best practices is offered as a strategy for promoting reduced-impact snorkel tourism on coral reefs.
