Abstract

In Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), aquatic tourism can contribute to economic resilience and biodiversity conservation. This research paper will evaluate the value of aquatic tourism in these regions, with specific respect to its contribution to the sustainable development of the economy and to the conservation of marine ecosystems. The study is based on the concept of a blue economy, which focuses on the sustainable use of marine resources to develop the economy. These goals will help to assess the economic effects of aquatic tourism on the local population in MPAs, analyze the opportunities of tourism to help in conservation activities and also to find out which issues and opportunities can be used to balance tourism and conservation objectives. The approaches will involve both economic analysis and ecological studies, as well as interviews with the stakeholders, to obtain data on both economic and environmental impacts. The findings indicate that properly developed aquatic tourism in MPAs may have a huge economic potential, such as creating employment opportunities, developing infrastructure, and leveraging on tourism activities to boost revenue. Also, as part of conservation, it can help achieve the better marine biodiversity by providing the funding to conservation initiatives and increasing awareness among the visitors. Nevertheless, the paper also emphasizes that there should be effective management measures in place to deter the occurrence of over-tourism and to counteract the possible negative consequences on the ecological conditions.

Keywords: Aquatic tourism, Marine protected areas, Economic resilience, Biodiversity conservation, Blue economy, Sustainable development