Sustainable scuba diving tourism and resource use: Perspectives and experiences of operators in Mozambique and Italy

ABSTRACT Scuba diving has attracted increased numbers of tourists on a global scale. While the beneficial as well as detrimental impacts of scuba diving tourism have been well documented, limited research attention is given to the perspectives of dive operators with respect to sustainable development. This study examined the perspectives and experiences of dive operators in relation to sustainable resource use in Mozambique and Italy, two countries that are home to popular coastal destinations and offshore marine parks. Interviews suggested that overall operators have positive attitudes towards sustainable resource use, engaging in actions such as deploying four-stroke engines, recycling equipment and waste, and favouring electric- over fuel-powered vehicles. Yet, they do not promote sustainable resource use at the dive centre, with reasons including limited time, lack of government incentives, and absence of rebate systems. Implications were discussed for sustainable diving operations in the study areas and generally.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors extend their gratitude to the participants in the interviews, which are included in the list reported here: http://www.greenbubbles.eu/?cat=70. Special thanks go to Van Dao Truong, Murat Egi, Martina Milanese, Carlo Cerrano, Marco Palma, Waldo Krugell, Miguel Gonçalves, Armand Viljoen, the Peace Parks Foundation, and the management board of Portofino MPA. This study was funded by the Green Bubbles RISE project, H2020-MSCA-RISE-2014. The project has received funding from the European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 643712. This paper reflects only the authors' view. The Research Executive Agency is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains