Sustainable tourism: a study on the cruise sector

The increase in cruise tourism in the last decade is having negative impacts on the environ ment. Despite various surveillance programs and various policies that see shipping companies com mitted to reducing the negative effects that fall on the environment, it is still too early to be able to talk about "sustainable cruising". Unfortunately, to date, cruise ships have a negative effect on both the air and the water and can consequently negatively impact the health of humans and animal species. The paper aims to inform the reader, after a careful analysis of the literature, on the current situa tion of the cruise sector which involves cruise ships. Furthermore, due to the numerous negative exter nalities, it is currently very difficult to implement a strategic plan that leads the sector to be "sustai nable". The purpose of the paper is therefore to quantify to what extent the sector in question impacts on the environment and what could be the policy maneuvers that can be implemented toreduce the impact on the environment and, therefore, the externalities produced. Therefore, in addition to po licy implications, the paper also has managerial implications, as it suggests to shipping companies any strategies to adopt to reduce environmental impact and improve reputation.