The Potential of Coasteering as a Coastal Touristic Product

Nature-based tourism plays a vital role in promoting socio-economic and environmental sustainability on many islands worldwide. Its continued success requires the promotion of sustainable tourism practices. Over recent decades, there has been a sharp increase in the adventure tourism segment, associated with a growth in visitor experiences associated with some level of participant risk, as in the case of coasteering. Potential growth for this recently emerged activity can be significant in predominantly rocky and irregular coastal regions like those in the Azores archipelago. Considering the huge gap in knowledge and information available, this chapter characterizes the activity, analyses its potential as a tourist product and identifies its main features. The chapter is supported by a thorough literature review on the subject. Based on interviews with coasteering service providers in the Azores, where the coasteering product is still in its infancy, this case study demonstrates tremendous growth potential for this emerging nature-based tourism activity.