Marine tourism had a major impact on economies across the globe at the beginning of the 17th century with a trip called “The Grand Tour '' it involved a trip around the coastline of Europe. But even before that it has been around for hundreds of years people have always been traveling to find the next best place to visit or discover but over the years it has changed in a multitude of ways. Marine tourism is defined as (Orams, 1999) - Those recreational activities that involve traveling away from one’s place of residence and which have as their host or focus the marine environment (where marine environment is defined as waters which are saline and tide-affect).  Marine tourism refers to sea-based activities such as boating, yachting, cruising, and nautical sports as well as their land-based services and infrastructure. Many other recreational activities can fall under the definition of marine tourism such as wildlife cruises. Wildlife cruises are a major activity that many travelers will partake in. But finding an exact definition for marine tourism may be difficult because of all of the various multifunctional nature activities related to the sea and marine tourism. 

What exactly is Marine tourism? Well, Marine tourism can qualify as snorkeling, scuba diving, windsurfing, fishing, boating, cruise, and ferry industry, watching sea mammals and seabirds, Arctic and Antarctica tourism, sea kayaking, all beach activities, land infrastructure, water sports, etc. Marine tourism includes all types of different activities, from marine sports to activities that are leisure; it truly can range from anything that has to do with the cost line and the water to the hotels and restaurants that all play a role in the local economy. Marine Tourism is one of the biggest industries to date and it is expected to grow by 3.5% annually each year until 2030. Just in Europe alone, Marine tourism attracts 12% of the total tourists in Europe yearly, including an abundance of infrastructures such as hotels and marinas that surround the cost line. Hotels and Marinas are some of the most important parts of the coastlines' economic success. Marine Tourism has effects not only on the ocean but also on the communities and the culture that is in the surrounding areas. Marine tourism creates revenue and boosts the economic value of the coastal cities that rely heavily on the economic income of marine tourism regions such as (the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia, ). The global accumulation of all of the marine tourist places in the world equates to over $65 billion dollars in revenue a year and by 2030 marine tourism is going to be the biggest revenue generator to the marine economy. As well as around the world over 3 billion, people depend on the economy of marine tourism with it creating over 6.5 million jobs across the globe. 

Marine tourism includes multiple different habitats that are open for tourism including: 

• coral reefs 

• open oceans

• Ports

•  Bays

• mangrove forests 

• salt marshes 

Over 350 million people visit marine tourism habitats each year covering 2% of the world economy and 1.7% of the world GDP. Coral reefs are some of the biggest destinations throughout the world. Many coral reefs are beginning to dwindle in size because of the coral bleaching that is happening from the ocean level rising and the coral reefs not getting enough sunlight to be fed and grow. The largest marine tourism cultures in the world takes place Southeast Asia. South East Asia claims about 30% of the world's coral reefs, 35% of the world's mangroves, 18% of the seagrass meadows. It has 173,000 kilometers of the world's richest economies (ecologically and ecologically rich) because of the ocean. But almost all of the Marine tourism habitats are beginning to dwindle in size because of the ocean being so heavily polluted by us humans. Seagrass beds are another habitat just like the coral reefs that are beginning to be impacted by water pollution. The seagrass beds are one of the most productive ecosystems, they provide shelter and food to a diverse set of animals from sea turtles, to large fish, crabs, birds, etc. They are also one of the most scuba-dived habitats as well because of the abundance of animals that live in the habitats. Much of the marine tourism economy has a major threat, between climate change, pollution, and insufficient consideration of environmental and social sustainability threaten the marine resources. 

Other examples of marine tourism also include: 

• Ocean-view beach houses/Hotels

• Restaurants 

• Shops 

• Private beaches 

The multitude of different habitats generates a great percentage of the income for marine tourism as people travel. The surrounding cities and cultures depend heavily on the various habitats to create revenue for them. As time goes on the importance of sustainable tourism is the ultimate goal of marine tourism. With new technology beginning to be developed throughout the world, there is hope that sustainable travel will increase so the people who depend on marine tourism do not have the misfortune of losing their economy while also losing their culture and way of life. Marine tourism is to many people is much more then just an economy and a way to make a profit. To many people it is there culture and way of life and big corporations and tourist take advantage of the locals that live there in many different ways then just for profit and for their own leisure. The various people that are apart of the many different culture that live within the marine tourism industry experience racism in a numerous amount of ways. They can range from unintentional and subtile racism and discrimination to intentional ways and tourist trying to assert ones self benefit over the ways of the people in the specific culture. The discrimination can range from the tourist not respecting the water and area surrounding by polluting the land and water, and disrespecting the people and the cultures. Each go hand and hand with one another.

Ways To Help

Coral reefs are extremely important natural resources that need to be protected and saved. Coral reefs cover less than 1% of the ocean floor but support about 25% of marine life. However, coral reefs around the world are declining due to things like climate change along with coral disease, pollution, overfishing, and other stressors. MOTE, a marine laboratory filled with the best scientists is trying to figure out the best science-based solutions to save coral reefs. “Mote researchers are working to optimize restoration using diverse coral genotypes (genetic varieties), prioritizing native genetic variations that can resist SCTLD and other stressors such as increased water temperatures and ocean acidification” (MOTE, 2023). The efforts of MOTE have had significant impacts. Science-based reef restoration is central to Mote's Coral Disease Response & Restoration Initiative, which is aiming to help coral reefs recover from damage and other serious challenges. MOTE is co-leading a Restoration Trials Team within the multi-partner response to the damaging coral reef outbreak. 

The main damage to coral reefs is, obviously, Marine Tourism. It is not only damaging coral reefs but also severely damaging other parts of the ocean. With proper actions on preventing these negative effects, Marine Tourism could have a bright future. NOAA Fisheries, the trusted government authority on the science and management of fish, other marine life, and their habitats, created an article on a plan to restore coral reefs. Their prevention program efforts outline a framework for reducing the main threats to coral reef ecosystems, such as Marine Tourism. NOAA’s work focuses on four strategies:

• Improving habitat quality for corals, by supporting research and development of activities that will reduce nuisance and invasive species that compete with corals for habitat

• Preventing loss of corals and their habitat. Doing this by, identifying high-risk areas, supporting emergency response, and recovering damages from physical events that have affected coral reefs.

• Enhancing coral population resilience. Research and development of original techniques will help improve resilience and reduce the mortality of coral larvae (Coral Larvae is called as known as, planula. Planulae float in the ocean, some for days and some for weeks, before dropping to the ocean floor). 

• Improving coral health and survival. Improving techniques that control the spread of coral diseases and reduce the impacts of organisms that feed on corals will help improve survival rates for corals at key reef sites

NOAA also explains how we can restore coral reefs by simply growing and over-planting to harvest millions of naturally-produced eggs and sperm to create millions of new genetic coral reefs.