Every year, millions of travellers seek out ocean’s most spectacular destinations — from Indonesia’s rich marine biodiversity to the accessible calm warm waters in the Caribbean, from the Red Sea’s dramatic walls to the Maldives’ crystal-clear atolls. They seek adventures, wonder and that life-changing moment when they first set eyes on the incredible diversity of marine life up close. Marine tourism has become one of the world’s fastest-growing industries, and for good reason: few experiences compare to exploring underwater worlds that have taken thousands of years to develop.

But what if that same breathtaking experience could actively help protect the very ecosystem you’re exploring? What if your diving or snorkelling holidays could become a force for conservation and regeneration?

That’s the transformative power of sustainable marine tourism.

Marine tourism is sustainable if people who engage in scuba diving and snorkelling connect with marine ecosystems without harming them. It’s that simple — and that revolutionary.

The Massive Scale of Marine Tourism

Marine tourism isn’t just popular — it’s enormous. Coastal and marine tourism makes up to 50% of global tourism, generating an estimated of US$1.5 trillion annually and supporting 52 million jobs worldwide. It is a major economic driver, often the backbone of the entire economy, for small island nations, especially.

Every year, over one million new scuba divers join the tens of millions already certified, and snorkelling reaches numbers too vast to measure. At this scale, these practices bring both incredible opportunities and serious responsibilities.

When Marine Tourism is Unsustainable

Here’s the challenge: poorly managed scuba diving and snorkelling operations can unintentionally cause real damage to the marine environment. It might seem like small things — an anchor dropped carelessly on coral, damaging centuries of growth in seconds. Fins accidentally kicking a delicate reef structure. Toxic sunscreen and cleaning chemicals washing into the water, smothering marine life. Trash blowing off a boat and ending up in a turtle's stomach. Tour boats crowding sensitive areas, disturbing feeding or nesting behaviours.

But multiply these "small" impacts by millions of tourists, and suddenly we're talking about serious cumulative damage to coral reefs and marine ecosystems that are already struggling with climate change.

The good news? These impacts are completely preventable.

The Flip Side: Tourism as a Conservation Tool

*A dive guide from Ceningan Divers giving a Green Fins briefing*

When done right, marine tourism becomes one of our most powerful tools for ocean conservation. Instead of threatening marine ecosystems, sustainable practices help nurture and protect them. Tourists become ocean ambassadors, sharing their underwater experiences and inspiring others to care about marine conservation. Operators become conservation champions, implementing practices that protect the very reefs that sustain their livelihoods. Local communities benefit economically while their reefs stay healthy, creating a positive cycle where conservation and prosperity go hand in hand.

This isn't just theory – it's happening around the world through programmes like Green Fins, which transform how the diving and snorkelling industry operates.

Why is Sustainable Marine Tourism Crucial for the Long-term Health of Coral Reefs

Coral reefs are disproportionately important for their size. Though they have a small physical footprint (just 0.1% of our planet’s surface), they support 25% of all marine life. For thousands of years, they’ve been crucial to the cultural and spiritual health of coastal indigenous communities, and today support ALL of us, providing the equivalent of $4 billion in coastal protection and $6.8 billion in fisheries each year.

How we all rely on coral reefs, even if we’re far away.

But here's the sobering reality: 75% of the world's coral reefs are currently classified as 'threatened' in 2025. They're providing less habitat for biodiversity, less coastal protection and supporting fewer fish populations for fisheries.

The double threat

Reefs face threats on two levels:

Global threats like coral bleaching, increased storm damage and ocean acidification from climate change require massive, long-term action on fossil fuel emissions.

Local threats from coastal development, pollution, and, yes, poorly managed tourism, these we can address right now.

And here's the encouraging part: coral reefs are incredibly resilient ecosystems with an amazing capacity for recovery. When we reduce local pressures and give them breathing room, they can bounce back, adapt to changing conditions and continue thriving. In short, sustainable marine tourism can give reefs hope for a fighting chance for the future.

How Reef-World is Changing the Game for Sustainable Marine Tourism

Setting global standards

Through our flagship Green Fins programme, run in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme, we have defined the global standards for environmentally sustainable diving and snorkelling. With hundreds of members around the world, Green Fins has become an elite recognition that operators aim to achieve.

The Green Fins Code of Conduct* sets out best practices for tourism operators, staff and tourists. Whether operators choose the Certified or Digital membership routes, they get access to the broad suite of Green Fins tools that make sustainability achievable and provide transparency for tourists making sustainable choices when choosing their operators.

*The Green Fins Code of Conduct is used to assess if an operator is operating sustainably on an annual basis.

Education that creates change

Knowledge is power, and we are making sure everyone in the marine tourism chain has what they need to shift towards sustainability through different channels of our education work.

We help governments build their capacity to manage their marine tourism industries through strategic support and training programmes.
We provide tourism operators with workshops and materials to drive sustainable environmental behaviours within their operations, with their staff, and their tourists.
Our online courses ensure that this information is available to tourism staff and divers around the world.
Our webinars share lessons learned with industry professionals and help build a community around positive actions.

Science and data-backed solutions

Through the implementation of Green Fins, we gather socio-economic data from marine tourism operations worldwide. This isn't just numbers – it's scientific intelligence that helps:

Individual operators track their progress and identify next steps
Marine Protected Area (MPAs) managers understand local tourism impacts and needs
Governments develop evidence-based policies and report on international commitments
Industry partners like training agencies identify and address systemic challenges

Our data make sound scientific choices for behaviour change and effective policy.

Policy work

We support governments that have adopted the Green Fins approach to institutionalise the programme and reduce environmental threats to the marine environment through targeted policy work:

Developing local and national policies that govern and incentivise sustainable marine tourism
Developing and strengthening relevant regulatory frameworks
Integrating Green Fins into national regulatory frameworks
Advocating globally through our ICRI membership for sustainable tourism as a key coral conservation tool

Our policy work rounds out our approach, so we are tackling tourism threats both top-down and bottom-up.

Driving positive industry change through partnerships

Real change happens when entire industries move together. We partner with key players to drive industry-wide change:

Scuba training agencies to strengthen environmental credentials
Booking platforms to make sustainable operators easier to find
Trade shows and industry events to spread best practices
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council to embed marine standards at the destination and industry levels

Through our industry work, we’re pushing environmental sustainability through every angle.

The Power of Collective Action

Sustainable marine tourism isn't just about individual choices – it's about transforming an entire industry. When travellers, operators, governments, and organisations work together, we create a powerful movement that protects marine ecosystems while supporting the communities that depend on them.

Every sustainable dive operation that opens, every government that adopts environmental standards, every traveller who chooses responsible operators, and every organisation that supports conservation efforts contributes to a future where marine tourism nurtures rather than threatens our ocean.

The future of coral reefs depends on all of us working together. Whether you're a traveller seeking meaningful experiences, an operator looking to implement sustainable practices, a government developing marine tourism policies or simply someone who cares about ocean conservation, there are ways to get involved.

Discover how you can buy time for coral reefs — be part of the solution and build a sustainable future for marine tourism that benefits reefs and communities worldwide.

What is sustainable marine tourism?