Opportunities For Transforming Coastal And Marine Tourism
The Monkey's Hand
On January 18, 2023, La Mano del Mono and its Strategic Partnerships Coordinator, Mauricio Miramontes, had the privilege of participating as a panelist in the webinar called Opportunities for transforming coastal and marine tourism organized by High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy.
During the event, new research from the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (Ocean Panel) was put into context, indicating that coastal and marine tourism accounts for at least 50% of all global tourism and supports millions of jobs and livelihoods worldwide.
On the other hand, a reflection was made on how the global health emergency (COVID-19) revealed the fragility of the current global tourism model:
"As the world begins to recover and reopen again, all destinations will face a trade-off. Seize this moment again as an opportunity to invest in a more sustainable model of coastal and marine tourism that is prepared to deal with eminent and future crises, such as climate change and biodiversity loss, and that equitably distributes wealth in host destinations to ensure the economic well-being of coastal and island nations."
The event provided an opportunity to analyze the different scenarios of opportunity in the face of the economic crises in the world, which helped to learn first-hand about inspiring experiences that have been implemented in coastal and marine areas, including the vision of the communities of the Balandra destination in Mexico, which has been developed by the La Mano del Mono organization.
Undoubtedly, an opportunity to listen to experts in the tourism sector on innovation and best practices currently being implemented, with a view to understanding how the various players in the sector are approaching the future of coastal and marine tourism.
The meeting was attended by several international organizations such as UNC Wilmington, the Chumbe Island MPA, Sustainable Solutions International Consulting, the Ministry of Tourism of Jamaica, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the School of Wildlife Conservation, the African Leadership University and the Ocean Action 2030 Coalition.
