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Following the global shutdown of tourism at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, small island developing states such as The Bahamas had their economies immobilized due to their heavy dependence on the industry. Beyond economic recovery in a post COVID-19 paradigm, the blue economy, blue growth, and associated activities offer pathways for a more resilient economy and is well-suited for The Bahamas. This paper suggests conduits for economic development using a traditional strength, coastal and marine tourism, in conjunction with the emerging fields of ocean renewable energy, offshore aquaculture, marine biotechnology, and bioprospecting. The interlinkages between each activity are discussed. Knowledge gaps in offshore aquaculture, ocean renewable energy, marine biotechnology, and marine environment monitoring are identified. In each sector case, strategic and tactical decision-making can be achieved through the exploitation of ocean numerical modeling and observations, and consequently should be invested in and developed alongside the requisite computational resources. Blue growth is encouraged, but instances of blue injustice are also highlighted. Crucially, pursuing blue economy activities should be given top national priority for economic recovery and prosperity.

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hit the tourism industry particularly hard, affecting livelihoods and exacerbating some pressures on the natural capital resource base. Supporting the tourism sector recovery is an opportunity to build back better, ensuring that business investments lead to a sustainable and resilient shared-growth pathway that is good for tourism and the natural capital on which it depends. Further sustainable management of the Blue economy could more than double its economic contribution to global relationship with economic sectors across coastal landscapes and markets. The experience of the State of Palawan in the Philippines is explored in this note. It serves as a useful model for weighing the opportunities and challenges typical of coastal tourism areas and exploring natural dependencies therein.

This IUCN report highlights the importance of biodiversity in hotels, and provides principles to integrate biodiversity-friendly actions into the design of hotel and resort buildings and in their daily operations.

This World Bank report analyzes the potential for Cabo Verde to develop and market local experiences through online marketplaces.

This book analyzes over 170 global case studies and shows what ecotourism can achieve and what constraints it faces, and provides a convenient and comprehensive reference for ecotourism enterprises, development agencies and university teaching.

This CREST report highlights case studies in the Caribbean to see how various tourism sectors both contribute to and are impacted by climate change and presents innovative tourism businesses that are providing solutions to addressing climate change.

This CREST report highlights case studies to see how various tourism sectors both contribute to and are impacted by climate change and presents innovative tourism businesses that are providing solutions to addressing climate change with a focus in the Caribbean.

This National Parks Service guide provides detailed procedures to implement current laws, regulations, Executive Orders, Department of the Interior policies and guidance, NPS Management Policies 2006, and other NPS policy and guidance related to commercial services.

This UN report is a compendium of best practices for promotion of sustainable (eco)tourism which consists of 18 best practices in sustainable (eco)tourism initiated by governments, NGOs, and private sectors, in developing countries, including SIDS, with potentials for replication elsewhere.

This WWF tool provides a standardized evaluation approach to ensure conservation linkages and to set thematic and geographic priorities for engagement. This framework includes a conservation framework; tourism readiness, potential and status; conservation travel potential; and WWF country readiness and funding potential.