Cruise Tourism

From a global standpoint, the stimulation of a tourism sector in any destination is designed to rouse economic and social development, thereby transforming these economies. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Tourism involves the activities of persons or groups travelling for periods of time outside their usual environment for leisure, business and other personal purposes (2014). Persons engaging in tourism activities, tourists, are generally categorized depending on the reason for travelling- domestic or internationally related. There are though, niches of tourism or specialty travels which has evolved the traditional motivations for travelling. In recent years, the international tourism industry offers many specialized forms of tourism in efforts to cater to cultural diversity. According to

These concerns raised are amongst those whose primary focus are the manatees which inhabit the Swallow Caye Sanctuary, where a causeway have been proposed to be built in order to access the cruise port. In this manner, as cruise order book and passenger number grow, so does cruise impacts on the environment and natural resources (Brida and Zapata, 2010). In a research conducted by Johnson which exposed the environmental impacts of cruise tourism, such activities enable modifications to the natural environments involving the loss of habitats and the exploitation of local construction (2002). Operational impacts related to the provision and use of energy and water is also evident in community research programs conducted in Southern Belize. According to the PCSD, the Harvest Caye proposal is projected to consume 15.35 megawatts of electricity, while both Seine Bight and Placencia villages have consumed between one to two megawatts of energy in recent readings