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ABSTRACT
Directly or indirectly, tourism affects virtually everyone and all parts of the world. However, the favourite form of tourism of the second half of the 20th Century is that which provides sun. sea and sand, and which, consequently, is coastal zone oriented. As might be expected, diffirent types of tourism have different environmental impacts. However, even for the same type of tourism, the environmental impact (natural, socio-cultural and economic) can be quite different depending on its location.
General global guidelines serve a valuable purpose, but only insofar as governments can make very general policy decisions. At the other end of the spectrum, if each individual country was to conduct its own investigations from scratch, scarce financial resources might be used unnecessarily, or perhaps not at all. A regional approach to environmentally sound tourism development offers a chance to maximise the benefits while minimising the cost. Neighbouring countries with similar tourism resources and potential (or existing) problems can pool their resources and experiences to mutual benefit. UNEP's Regional Seas Action Plans have provided a good basis to find the best practical solutions to the development of environmentally sound coastal tourism.