ABSTRACT
Marine tourism has similarities with, but also differs from, the wider tourism industry. As is the case with tourism generally, tourism based upon the sea has shown a rapid increase in popularity (Miller, 1993). This rapid growth has produced significant impacts on local, regional and national communities. However, an important distinction is that marine tourism occurs (for the most part) on, in and under a medium that is alien to humans. This has a significant influence over the nature of marine tourism activities because, first, most are dependent upon equipment (such as boats and other vessels) and, second, safety issues are of greater importance. It can be argued that marine tourism is ‘nature-based tourism’. For most marine tourism activities-for example, scuba diving, surfing, fishing, sailing, water skiing, sea kayaking, windsurfing-this argument is valid. However, defining some marine activities as ‘nature based’ is dubious. For example, on most cruise ships, where thousands of passengers holiday on floating cities, there is little direct contact with or focus on nature. Thus, when marine tourism is examined it is difficult to define tightly what it includes and its characteristics.
