Presentation
This report published as part of the Blue Tourism Initiative focuses on providing a diagnosis of the cruise industry, examining its economic, environmental, and social impacts, and identifying the main challenges and policy opportunities for improving sustainability within the sector. Emphasizing the urgency, it underscores the need for the cruise industry to increasingly align with global climate and biodiversity targets, and with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It supports enhanced collaborative governance models and an increased regional cooperation as pivotal strategies to foster the growth of sustainable approaches across the cruise industry, aligning with global sustainability targets and ensuring the equitable distribution of its benefits.
Citation
Balestracci, G., Sciacca, A., Fosse, J. and Rochette, J (2024). Policy Pathways Towards a More Sustainable Cruise Tourism Sector. Edited by Blue Tourism Initiative.
Extract
Despite the relevant challenges affecting the cruise sector’s ability to shift towards more sustainable practices, there are promising opportunities to pursue, focusing on building upon existing regulatory frameworks and governance mechanisms, enhancing the role of ports, and leveraging technological developments alongside sustainability certifications.
The report proposes the following policy pathways for a more sustainable cruise sector:
- (1) Identify and fill global regulatory and governance gaps
- (2) Promote regional and interregional cooperation on cruise tourism
- (3) Address national regulatory gaps
- (4) Improve monitoring and reporting systems
- (5) Implement clean technologies and more sustainable behaviours by the industry and consumers.
