After spending the last two years traveling, working and volunteering in various parts of Southeast Asia, Caitlin found herself fascinated by the explosion in tourism, the spread of Western influence and the impact tourism is having on the local community.

In part II of this blog piece, she will discuss her observations while carrying out fieldwork in Lombok to provide insights on the management and implementation of the Mandalika Project.

Read on to see how local communities are being affected and what prospects lie ahead for the island as it faces rapid development.

Look out Bali, Lombok, the popular tourist destination’s neighboring island, is slated to become Asia’s new tourism hotspot. The new Indonesian-Government mandated “Mandalika Project” will aim at building tourism infrastructure and bringing development to the island, but at what cost? This two-part blog series will look into how tourism has already changed the face of Indonesia as well as what can be expected in terms of future changes to the economic and community aspects of Lombok.

Sea Going Green recently had the pleasure to interview Iris Overeem from the Recycled Island Foundation, a non-profit based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands to discuss their efforts to solve the issue of plastic pollution!

Their “plastic traps” catch floating plastic and upcycle it to close the loop by making it into a floating island structure, which can also function as an urban space for biodiversity and also city dwellers!

Check out this week’s blog to find out more about what inspired this project, how it works and its ambitions to become a new urban solution!

When you think of Florida, what comes to your mind?

Do you imagine white sandy beaches and clear green-blue water with dolphins and manatees glittering the coastline? Most of the time this is what locals and tourists can expect, but unfortunately a rare but recurring phenomenon called “Red Tide” has been leaving beaches and surrounding sea life devastated.

If you’ve been following Sea Going Green’s social media lately, you’ve probably seen some coverage from the beach cleanup we planned on New Years Eve at Clearwater Beach. While most of our focus on the cleanup had to do with raising awareness on the effects of plastic pollution, we couldn’t help but notice that the abundance of “Red Tide” was just as much of a concern for locals and attendees as pollution. Therefore, I’d like to shed some light on this issue as well as what can be done in the future to limit its effects on marine life and the tourism industry.

Despite recent news from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change regarding the course we are on if we do not reduce CO₂ emissions, we can look towards certain examples of inspiration for how we can mitigate climate change and live sustainable lives that will change our course for the better.

This week, we’ll take a look at Barcelona and the plans that the city council has put in place to reduce negative impacts on the environment!

The EU is making changes to #GoGreenForTheBigBlue!

Just this week lawmakers have approved measures that may lead to the ban of single-use plastics by 2021, which is great news for our oceans!

Check out this week’s blog for more information on how the EU Commission plans to finally toss away single-use plastics for good.

Over-tourism has claimed another victim: Maya Beach in Koh Phi Phi Leh, Thailand.

Following in the steps of Boracay Island in The Philippines, this beautiful destination known for its blue waters, white sand and limestone cliffs will be closed indefinitely while its biodiversity and ecosystems begin their process to recovery.

Take a look at this week’s blog to read about the impact that unsustainable tourism has had on the popular beach destination as well as lessons that we, as tourists, can take away from its closure to prepare ourselves for our next vacation.

Boracay island in The Philippines was once a paradise destination for local and international visitors, totaling an annual amount of 2 million tourist arrivals per year. Although, Boracay's closure in 2018 serves as a prime example of what can happen to a beautiful destination if tourism remains unsustainable and unregulated. Continue reading to find out more about the closure of Boracay has had a silver lining for locals and has generated hope for the future tourism prospects on the island. 

Around the world tourism figures have been on the rise due to unprecedented global mobility, which has allowed for travelers to explore prized tourist destinations such as Croatia. Yet, does it come at a cost and if so, who will be the ones responsible to regulate tourism development?

This week’s blog post will reflect on the positive and negative aspects that tourism has brought to Croatia concluding with an analysis on the ways that Government officials, stakeholders and local communities can keep tourism growth and development in line with local and environmental regulations especially on island destinations and the coastline.

Communities and organisations around the world are making an effort to develop sustainable marine tourism to preserve their heritage. Fogo Island, along with the Shorefast Foundation, provides an ideal example for how we as residents, travellers, and entrepreneurs can support and develop sustainable tourism.

Read more about the efforts that are being made on Fogo Island to integrate tourism into the local community and culture.

This week on the blog we have one of our environmental consultants Molly Manwill writing about her experience setting up a Lang Tengah Turtle Watch project where hotel guests can sponsor a turtle nest! Read more to find out how conservation and tourism can go hand in hand!

When we visit magical destinations, we never think about how they are changing in front of our eyes.

However, as tourist activity has increased over the last few decades, many of these beautiful natural wonders have suffered.One reason for this is invasive species. These are animals and plants that are introduced to new environments either intentionally or unintentionally.

I used to never think about trash. As a Western city dweller,  it is easy to remain in blissful ignorance of garbage: where it comes from, where it goes. The only brain cells devoted to trash were for mindless separation, and remembering to take the seperated bags out before they got too full. Otherwise convenience (or a frustrated roommate) takes over, and everything ends up in the general bin.