Marine ecotourism : between the devil and the deep blue sea

317 Pages·2007·4.469 MB·English

by  Carl Cater, Erlet Cater

M E : B D
ARINE COTOURISM ETWEEN THE EVIL
D B S
AND THE EEP LUE EA
Ecotourism Book Series
General Editor: David B. Weaver, Professor of Tourism Management, George Mason
University, Virginia, USA.
Ecotourism, or nature-based tourism that is managed to be learning-oriented as well as
environmentally and socio-culturally sustainable, has emerged in the past 20 years as one
of the most important sectors within the global tourism industry. The purpose of this
Series is to provide diverse stakeholders (e.g. academics, graduate and senior undergradu-
ate students, practitioners, protected area managers, government and non-governmental
organizations) with state-of-the-art and scientifically sound strategic knowledge about all
facets of ecotourism, including external environments that influence its development.
Contributions adopt a holistic, critical and interdisciplinary approach that combines rele-
vant theory and practice while placing case studies from specific destinations into an
international context. The Series supports the development and diffusion of financially
viable ecotourism that fulfils the objective of environmental, socio-cultural and economic
sustainability at both the local and global scale.
Titles available:
1. Nature-based Tourism, Environment and Land Management
Edited by R. Buckley, C. Pickering and D. Weaver
2. Environmental Impacts of Ecotourism
Edited by R. Buckley
3. Indigenous Ecotourism: Sustainable Development and Management
H. Zeppel
4. Ecotourism in Scandinavia: Lessons in Theory and Practice
Edited by S. Gossling and J. Hultman
5. Quality Assurance and Certification in Ecotourism
Edited by R. Black and A. Crabtree
6. Marine Ecotourism: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
C. Cater and E. Cater
M E :
ARINE COTOURISM
B D
ETWEEN THE EVIL AND
D B S
THE EEP LUE EA
Carl Cater
Department of Tourism, Hospitality and Sport
Griffith University, Queensland, Australia
and
Erlet Cater
Department of Geography
University of Reading, UK
CABI is a trading name of CAB International
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©C.Cater and E. Cater 2007. All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronically, mechanically,
by photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the
copyright owners.
Acatalogue record for this book is available from the British Library, London,
UK.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Cater, Carl.
Marine ecotourism : between the devil and the deep blue sea / Carl Cater,
Erlet Cater
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-84593-259-6 (alk. paper)
1. Marine ecotourism. 2. Marine ecotourism -- Environmental aspects.
I. Cater, Erlet. II. Title
G156.5.M36C38 2007
910.9162--dc22
2006101325
ISBN-13: 978 1 84593 259 6
Typeset by Columns Design Ltd, Reading, UK
Printed and bound in the UK by Biddles Ltd, King’s Lynn
Contents
Dedication vi
Acknowledgements vii
Authors and Note ix
1 Introduction 1
Part I Patterns and Processes 23
2 Marine Ecotourism in Context 25
3 Marine Ecotourism Resources 46
4 Marine Ecotourism Attractions and Activities 77
Part II Primary Stakeholders and Interests 109
5 Coastal Commu nities 111
6 Marine Ecotourists 130
7 Marine Nature 155
8 The Marine Ecotourism Industry 178
Part III Regulation, Facilitation and Collaboration 199
9 Planning Agencies 201
10 Management Structures 221
11 Networks and Initiatives 240
12 Conclusion 256
References 274
Index 302
v
For our Family and Friends
Acknowledgements
We count ourselves as very privileged that we have been able to draw on
such a wide range of expertise and support during, and indeed before, the
writing of this book. At Reading our colleagues (who we actually shared
for 18 months) as always have been generous with their advice and
encouragement. Many staff and students at Griffith have provided support
for the project, and encouraged our thinking throughout. Students of
3403EAS Marine Ecotourism Field Trip and members of the Griffith
University Dive Club provided useful feedback and personal insights. In
terms of technical support we were fortunate to call upon the skills of
Erika Meller, who converted a number of colour slides and photographs
to monochrome prints, while Heather Browning prepared the line
drawings for Chapters 2 and 11. Thanks are also due to the publishing
team at CABI, in particular Claire Parfitt, her predecessor Rebecca Stubbs,
Rachel Cutts, Quen tin Scott and Emma Brooks, who have guided us
through the various stages of preparation of the final manuscript.
There are many other individuals who have contributed both
indirectly and directly to our endeavour. While we hope that those who
we do not mention will realize how much we value the inspiration they
have given us, we should like to mention, in particular, David Weaver
for his invitation to write this book and continued support, Ralf Buckley
for much encouragement, Paul Cloke for sowing many seeds, Michael
Lück for his role in positioning marine tourism centre stage in recent
years and Ian Munt, whose suggestion that Erlet should attend the First
Caribbean Conference on Ecotourism in Belize back in 1991 had more
far-reaching consequences than either of us could ever have envisaged.
It is also important to us that we should acknowledge the influence of
those working at the coal face: Hugh Somerville and Martin Brackenbury,
as the tireless champions of sustainable tourism in the industry, have
been very supportive over the years. In the preparation of the book
vii
viii Acknowledgements
we have met with unparalleled cooperation from Pete Raines (Coral
Cay Conservation), Simon Berrow (Shannon Dolphin and Wildlife
Foundation), Nigel Smith (Seaprobe Atlantis), Bruce Nicholls (Tall
Ship/Whale Watching Gold Coast), Trevor Long (Sea World), Daniel
Gschwind (Queensland Tourism Industry Council) and Cheyne Benjamin
(Walindi Plantation Resort/Mahonia Na Dari), along with several others
who kindly met our requests for up to date information without
hesitation despite their busy schedules. Last, but not least, we should like
to thank our family and friends who have been our anchoring points
throughout our voyage of discovery.
Authors
Dr. Carl Cater is a Lecturer in Tourism at Griffith University, Queensland,
Australia. His research centres on the experiential turn in tourism and
the subsequent growth of special interest sectors. He is a fellow of the
Royal Geographical Society, a qualified pilot, diver, mountain and
tropical forest leader, and maintains an interest in both the practice and
pursuit of sustainable outdoor tourism activity.
Dr. Erlet Cater is Senior Lecturer in Tourism and Development in the
Department of Geography, The University of Reading. Joint editor of
Ecotourism: A Sustainable Option (1994) and Advisory Editor for The
Encyclopaedia of Ecotourism (2001), she is an advisor for the Society
and Environment Forum of the RGS-IBG and Coral Cay Conservation
and judged the British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Award for several
years. She has been privileged to have travelled the world for the past 40
years, but her heart lies in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland.
Anote on the subtitle
It is likely that the phrase ‘Between the devil and the deep blue sea’ has
nautical origins, with devilnot a reference to Satan, but to the seam which
margins the waterways on a ship’s hull. This seam would require periodic
maintenance whilst at sea, but its inaccessibility made it a difficult and
awkward job. There was very little space to get at this seam, since there is
only the thickness of the ship’s hull planking between it and the water.
The phrase is first recorded in print in 1637 in Robert Monro’s His
expedition with the worthy Scots regiment called Mac-keyes. A similar
term in the English language is ‘between a rock and a hard place’. As such
the idiom represents the contemporary challenges of achieving sustainable
outcomes in the development of marine ecotourism.
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