in a Blue World

are required and can spread the costs and risks of green investments. Micro-enterprises are especially important in LDCs but lack access to capital. Reduction of fees and favourable interest rates, along with in-kind technical, marketing or administration assistance can help.

Cross-sectoral consultation and Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) are required for good sustainable tourism, destination planning and development strategies. When developing tourism strategies, governments, communities and businesses need to establish mechanisms for coordinating with multiple ministries. Cross-sectoral consultation is required in areas such as zoning, protected areas and agricultural standards. Tourism planning has to include capacity building, government

Blue Flag up! Norway Denmark Canada Iceland Ireland

Spain France

North Atlantic Ocean

Bahamas Dominican Republic Jamaica US Virgin Islands Puerto Rico Brazil

South Atlantic Ocean

South Pacific Ocean

South Africa New Zealand

Number of blue Flag certifications by country

Total beaches and marinas

600 300 130 15

Source: Blue Flag International Coordination. Number of Blue Flags

1 000 1 500 2 000 2 500 3 000 3 500

500 0

1987 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 17 Countries with Blue Flags

10 20 30 40 50

0

The Blue Flag is a certification assigned towards sustainable development of beaches and marinas through strict criteria dealing with Water Quality, Environmental Education and Information, Environmental Management, and Safety and Other Services.

Indian Ocean

French Polinesia Portugal Morocco Italy Greece Tunisia Cyprus Romania

Netherlands UK

Slovenia Sweden

Lithuania Latvia

Poland Germany

Croatia Ukraine Montenegro Turkey Jordan UAE

North Pacific Ocean

Russian Federation

commitment, enforcement and climate change considerations. ICZM, a multi-sectoral approach for balanced development, use and protection, helps implement strategic planning.

Government investments and policies

can leverage private sector actions on sustainable tourism. Government spending on public goods such as protected areas, cultural assets, transport, and renewable energies can reduce the cost of green investments. Governments can use tax concessions and subsidies to encourage investment. Energy use and waste generation need to be correctly priced to reflect the true cost. An efficient instrument to deal with greenhouse gas

emissions is to introduce

carbon taxes on production and consumption but can be challenging in developing nations.