1998 Year of the Ocean Coastal Tourism and Recreation 



are drawn to the U.S. because of the attractive coastal shorelines and beaches found in this 

 country. In spite of the attractiveness of inland national parks like Yellowstone and the Grand 

 Canyon, 85 percent of all U.S. tourist revenues are earned by coastal states and 90 percent of all 

 tourist spending occurs in these states (Houston, 1996). 



However, attractive coastal amenities exist in many foreign locations as well. Indeed, 

 tourists from Northern Europe can travel to Mediterranean or Caribbean beaches at least as easily 

 as they can to U.S. coastal resorts. Japanese tour groups have choices that include Australia's 

 Gold Coast or Fiji's very attractive beaches in addition to those found in Hawaii. Coastal tourism 

 is becoming a highly competitive business as nations actively seek to draw increased numbers of 

 visitors (and increased foreign earnings) to their shores. Moreover, given today's rapid pace of 

 communications, the existence of poor water quality or degraded or eroding beaches is quickly 

 communicated among networks of travel agents and others in the tourism marketing business. 



The nation's coasts and coastal waters are of great value to the American people both for 

 their personal enjoyment and for the economic benefits these areas generate for coastal 

 communities, coastal states, and for the nation as a whole — ^benefits that can be sustainable 

 indefinitely with proper foresight and enlightened public policies. But, these benefits cannot be 

 taken for granted. Coastal habitats and the resources they support must be protected and, where 

 necessary, restored. The quality of coastal waters must be maintained at a sufficiently high level 

 to provide a healthy and aesthetically pleasing environment for water-based recreation. Similarly, 

 swimming beaches must be maintained at an attractive and functional level even in the presence 

 of accelerating sea-level rise and associated erosion, and possible increases in the frequency of 

 coastal storms. The maintenance of safe conditions for recreational boating and underwater 

 recreation (e.g., adequately marked waterways, timely weather information, rescue services, 

 hyperbaric chambers, etc.) is also of great importance. 



Organization of the Paper 



Following a review of the importance of coastal tourism and recreation to the U.S. 

 economy, including the contribution of foreign coastal tourism, a description of the existing 

 policy framework affecting coastal tourism and recreation is provided. This covers such topics 

 as: 



• governmental promotional efforts regarding tourism; 



• coastal planning and management (especially for siting of tourism facilities and 

 provision for public access); 



• efforts at attaining clean water and healthy coastal ecosystems; 



• beach restoration programs; 



• management of coastal security (including natural hazards and marine safety); and 



• special management challenges posed by ecotourism activities. 



A discussion of the adequacy of the existing management framework in each of these 

 areas is provided. Existing tools, programs, and arrangements for achieving sustainable coastal 



F-3 



