 |
| How did deep sea tourism become so popular among the wealthy? |
More than 70 percent of our planet is underwater, and in an age when so much has been discovered and explained on Earth, the recent wave of underwater tourism is taking tourists deep into Earth's secrets—the deep sea. Encourages to go.
New ventures in underwater tourism, such as the world's first underwater hotel at Rangali Island in the Maldives and the opening of the world's largest such restaurant in Norway, have been established.
Here, wealthy tourists explore new underwater worlds despite their lack of skills or training. Now that rescue workers are busy searching for the missing Titan submarine in the Atlantic Ocean, it may be time to rethink the boundaries of underwater tourism.
Underwater tourism is hardly a new concept. Jacques Cousteau invented common scuba gear in 1942 and the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, PADI, has issued over 27 million diving certificates worldwide since 1967.
According to Scubanomics, there are about six million active scuba divers in the world, in addition to countless snorkeling enthusiasts who explore the ocean's edges, dive for shipwrecks on the ocean floor, Swim with whales and turtles and even visit underwater caves.
Recently, however, there are also people adventuring in the oceans who are not expert divers or swimmers and do not have the time or means to obtain a diving certificate.
Donning a glass helmet at Green Island to explore the Great Barrier Reef, you can go underwater. Divers in protective suits are slowly lowered to the sea floor where they walk straight on the sand. They have tubes attached to them that enable them to breathe normally underwater.
Some submarines offer cruises from Hawaii to Mauritius along some of the world's most interesting islands and coastlines.
These can range from large submarines for tourist groups to ultra-luxurious private submarines, such as the DeepFlight submarines that operate at the Four Seasons Resort in the Maldives.
These are eco-friendly and air-conditioned submarines that can accommodate up to three people including the pilot and offer a close-up view of the underwater world.
Many believe that these submersibles could be the future of underwater exploration because no scuba or swimming experience is necessary to operate them.
But the underwater excursion through these submarines is quite expensive. For example, Deep Flight costs $1,500 per couple for an hour's travel. Similarly, the Louver's Deep Hotel, which runs through the coral reefs around St. Lucia, is a luxury submarine that even has its own chef and butler. A night's rent at this Deep Lovers hotel starts at $150,000.
Similarly, there is the deep sea tour company 'Ocean Gate', whose submarine Titan has recently been destroyed in the Atlantic Ocean, in which five tourists have been confirmed dead.
When Oceangate launched tours near the Titanic wreck in the autumn of 2022, the company's chief executive officer told the BBC that they aimed to make deep-sea travel commercially viable for the public. Action is to be made.
But tickets to see the sunken Titanic up close cost $250,000 per person, so the experience remains out of reach for most travelers.
Dr. Hayley Stanton, a tourism educator from the UK, says that although underwater tourism offers very attractive images of deep-sea concepts, there is little such tourism in reality. Underwater views are very expensive. I think there is definitely a market for underwater tourism but it will be limited to the rich and the few.
Patricia Rodales-Martinez, the spokeswoman for Les Roches, which organized the first Space and Underwater Universal Tourism Summit in 2019, has a different perspective. "As demand grows over time, the cost of underwater tourism will decrease as it has in the past with airplanes, cruises, and hotels, and become accessible to the general public."
Whether or not underwater space becomes commonplace, there is a side benefit of new experiences underwater. This is raising awareness of the need to care for the oceans and the damage to corals caused by global warming, overfishing, and pollution.
According to Rush, this also extends to 'Oceangate', which buys photos and videos of biodiversity from citizen scientists at a depth of 12,500 feet.
Apart from this, with the support of environmental protection and marine life experts, there are ongoing underwater projects in which work is being done to raise awareness about marine life and make the experience of underwater travel not only fun but also educational.
Centers raise awareness of threats to their dive sites and research centers, particularly on the Great Barrier Reef, are showcasing their research on topics such as coral bleaching, the effects of plastic waste, and reef destruction.
. They are asking tourists to get not only a pleasant experience but also knowledge from here.
Citizen science initiatives, from mapping seaweed species on the Washington coast to tracking sharks and turtles on the Great Barrier Reef, help travelers and volunteers monitor and research the marine environment and the potential impacts of tourism. Providing important data. They also have the side benefit of extending the responsibility of protecting our underwater world to the entire community.
The success of underwater sculpture parks, such as the Cancun Underwater Museum of Art in Mexico which opened in 2010 as part of the Cancun Climate Summit, is a step toward combining underwater tourism with art to create a new type of tourist attraction. can be attracted to underwater tourism. Among those interested are scuba divers and marine life enthusiasts.
The Great Barrier Reef's Engaro Underwater Sculpture Trail opened in 2019, features six art installations, such as a giant turtle, a local giant versus, and a manta ray migration, which can be explored by scuba diving tows or by boat. can Because they are not submerged deep enough in the water to be seen by tourists.
The trail was initially established in 2017 after Hurricane Debbie and the destruction of much of the reef and is not only part of an ongoing project to restore the reef but also focuses on topics such as marine conservation and manta ray migration. It is also a conversation starter.
A little further along the Queensland coast, Australia's first underwater art museum in Townsville, MoA, spans four locations, only one of which is accessible by scuba divers, and British sculptor Jason de Keers. Exhibits Taylor's installations.
These attractions tell the story of the plight of the reef and oceans through a selection of art pieces and accompanying signboards.
In many ways, the idea of underwater tourism is similar to expeditions to the Arctic, the Amazon, or other remote and ecologically fragile systems: by visiting these difficult places, travelers experience the power and uncertainty of our rapidly changing planet. can understand
But with so many historical, natural, and artistic attractions under the seas, it is up to local governments and tour operators to ensure that the sites are preserved in an environmentally friendly and beneficial manner.
The danger is that if a site becomes too attractive, the influx of tourists will destroy its natural environment.
Underwater tourism practices such as tour boats and walkways need to be monitored and strict guidelines enforced. Even savvy scuba divers can unwittingly damage the sites they venture into the oceans to enjoy.
Studies of sustainable marine tourism development by groups such as UNESCO show that the solution lies in strengthening local governments and communities and strengthening monitoring systems.
There are already some internationally supervised projects that are organized to educate local entrepreneurs. Several internationally agreed guidelines for coral protection have been developed, for example through scuba diving and snorkeling education.
They have been adopted by approximately 600 individual marine tourism companies in 11 countries and the popular underwater tourist destinations of Bali and Egypt.
Dr. Stanton says there are ways to promote underwater tourism in a sustainable way that allows for positive impacts.
"For example, a plane that sank off the coast of Turkey has encouraged marine life in the area by creating an artificial reef."