Aquaculture in tourist destinations: the need to consider economic aspects in environmental impact studies

The search for sustainable alternative food sources has led to the expansion of aquaculture, with the proliferation of marine farms in more and more places, some of them very touristic. The installation of these farms in the waters of consolidated Sun and Beach tourist destinations represents a planning challenge, which requires consideration of the potential environmental and economic impacts of those activities on tourism attractions. This article critically analyzes the implementation of marine farms in the Costa Blanca (Alicante), one of the most consolidated Sun and Beach tourist destinations in the Mediterranean. The case study shows that the environmental impact studies and other documentation accompanying these projects do not include tourism aspects, which represents a deficiency that jeopardizes the economic and social sustainability of the projects.