The existence of oil and gas reserves located in Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya and Syria motivate the pres- ence of more than 40 refineries and petrochemical installations around the Mediterranean that produce ammonia, methanol, urea, ethylene, naphtha, propylene, butane, butadiene, aro- matics, and other industrial chemicals. In addition to the min- ing, petrochemical, and metallurgy sectors, a highly diverse industrial manufacturing sector includes the manufacture of foods, textiles, leather, paper, cement, and chemicals, includ- ing fertilisers. However, the geographical distribution of indus- trial activities in the Mediterranean Basin is uneven, with most industry concentrated in the northwest, particularly in Italy, France, and Spain.
The study of the substances released by the different industrial sectors together with their hazardous nature allowed identify- ing the following as the most polluting types of industry (UNEP/ MAP/MED POL 2012): • Energy production • Metal industry • Manufacture of cement • Oil refining • Treatment of urban wastewater • Chemical industry • Manufacture of fertilizers
Industry is frequently located along the region’s coasts in areas with high population density, sometimes within urban centres, and often in close proximity to other economic activities like agriculture and tourism. This means that pressures brought by
industry to coastal and marine environments add to and interact with other types of pressures.
The environmental pressures on the Mediterranean coastal ma- rine environment generated by this broad range of industrial activities are multiple and varied, including the use of territory and natural resources (both marine and non-marine), the gen- eration of waste and the release of pollutants into the atmos- phere and water bodies.
Tourism The Mediterranean basin, if considered as a single area, is by far the largest global tourism destination, attracting almost a third of the world’s international tourists (306 million out of 980 million worldwide) and generating more than a quarter of international tourism receipts (190 out of 738 billion Euro worldwide). It is fore- casted that the Mediterranean region will reach 500 million of in- ternational tourist arrivals by 2030 (UNWTO 2012). The bulk of the tourists are of European origin (81,1 % in 2010) followed by Middle East tourists (6,4 %) that recently have outnumbered those com- ing from the Americas (5,7 %). Domestic tourism is also significant in the region. Of a total of 450 million visitors each year, including both domestic and international tourists, 100 million stay on the Mediterranean coast of their own host country, considerably in- creasing human concentration there (UNEP/MAP/MED POL 2005).
Mediterranean tourism includes emigrants returning to their homelands during the summer holiday period, which produces a noticeable flow of visitors over a short period of time. This kind of tourism is not always focused on the coast. In Israel, for ex- ample, tourism is mostly related to pilgrimage and family visits. Fewer than a quarter of such visitors stay on the Israeli coast. Still, tourism in the Mediterranean Basin is strongly coastal, with more than half of all visitors (and as high as 90 % of visitors to some countries) visiting coastal areas. Tourism is heavily seasonal, peaking in July and August.
The tourism sector is more developed in the advanced econo- mies of Europe, with more than two thirds of international tour- ism arrivals concentrated there. Still emerging economy destina- tions in the Eastern Mediterranean, North Africa and the Middle East experienced above average growth (9 % a year), with inter- national arrivals more than tripling between 1995 and 2010. Av- erage growth in this period was 12 % a year in the Middle East, 6 % in North Africa, and 9 % in emerging Europe. 2011-2012 were particularly challenging years for North Africa and the Middle East destinations in terms of international tourist arrivals with a drop of 31 % in the Middle East and 10 % in North Africa. Long- term forecasts still show that emerging country destinations are expected to grow faster than mature destinations. For the pe- riod 2010–2030, Mediterranean Africa (4,6 % a year), the Middle East (4,5 %) and the emerging economies of Europe (4,1 %) are expected to significantly outgrow the advanced economies of Europe (1,6 %) (UNWTO, 2012).
Tourism is a vital part of the Mediterranean economy and an ex- tremely important source of employment and foreign currency for all the states bordering the Mediterranean Sea. The amenities and recreational opportunities for tourism provided by the Medi- terranean’s marine and coastal ecosystems form the foundation for more than 68 % of the total value of economic benefits pro- vided by these ecosystems and about 17 % of total international tourist spending (UNEP/MAP/BP 2010).
30 STATE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN MARINE AND COASTAL ENVIRONMENT