1998 Year of the Ocean Coastal Tourism and Recreation 



elsewhere is how to integrate tourism development within the ambit of integrated coastal 

 management, and thus increase the likelihood of long-term sustainability (Cicin-Sain and 

 Knecht, 1998). 



The Role of the Federal Government in Coastal Tourism Management 



As an economic activity, tourism is difficult to influence and manage directly. Like most 

 coastal development in market economies, tourism-related development is driven largely by the 

 private sector and its assessment of economic opportunities. Miller and Auyong (1991) point out 

 that tourism involves mainly three sets of actors: tourists, locals (those who reside in the region 

 of tourism destinations but are unconnected to the tourism industry), and two categories of 

 brokers (those in the private sector who are engaged in the business of tourism, and those in the 

 public sector who in one way or another monitor, manage, or govern tourism). Tourism tends to 

 be globally driven by market forces influenced by such factors as advertising (by public or 

 private agents at the tourist destination), the perceptions of the traveling public about security, 

 amenity values, etc., and, in the case of international tourists, by currency factors. 



Notwithstanding these difficulties, there is much that the federal government, working 

 with the states and localities, does to ensure that coastal tourism is conducted in a sustainable 

 manner, thereby ensuring long term economic and environmental benefits for coastal 

 communities and the nation. Sustainable development of coastal tourism is dependent on: 



1 . good coastal management practices (particularly regarding proper siting of tourism 



infrastructure and the provision of public access); 



2. clean water and air, and healthy coastal ecosystems; 



3 . maintaining a safe and secure recreational environment though the management of 



coastal hazards (such as erosion, storms, floods), and the provision of adequate 

 levels of safety for boaters, swimmers, and other water users; 



4. beach restoration efforts that maintain the recreational and amenity values of beaches; 



and, 



5. sound policies for wildlife and habitat protection. 



While there are separate federal programs dealing with each of these areas, some more 

 successfully than others, in recent years there has been a growing realization among a number of 

 federal agencies that these factors are interconnected and that all are needed to achieve healthy 

 ecosystems and sustainable economies in coastal communities. To cite just one example, the 

 Sustain Healthy Coasts 5-year Implementation Plan, developed by NOAA's Office of Ocean and 

 Coastal Resource Management (March 1997), defines the following objective: "Foster well- 

 planned and revitalized coastal communities that are compatible with the natural environment. 



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