This page provides basic information on the combination between the tourism sector and the insallation of cables and pipelines, and will be further populated as more information becomes available.
Maritime & coastal tourism and cables & pipelines are two sectors that rarely interact with each other due to very limited spatial coexistence.
Interaction can occur during the installation phase of underwater cables, notably at cable landing sites, where cables are connected to the land to ensure grid connection. This can create challenging interactions as inshore locations also represent valuable points of interest for coastal tourism. This interaction can create visual disturbance, as well as restriction of access to parts of coastal strip that are under construction.
Additionally, the presence of installation and maintenance vessels operating on underwater cables & pipelines can lead to conflict of use with coastal tourism vessels operating in the same areas.
- SECTORS' CHARACTERISTICS
Maritime and coastal tourism
Maritime and coastal tourism is a hugely diverse sector. It is key for some European sea basins, such as the Mediterranean, where it generates significant direct and indirect employment and income.
All forms of coastal and marine tourism rely on attractive surroundings, and global environmental quality is an important factor as tourists expect clean, clear water and limited pollution.
Tourism is a fragmented governance sector, with many local and regional stakeholders. The sector is expected to continue growing in the coming years [1], notably by diversifying its offer, as exemplified by the increasing trend towards more nature-based and sustainable coastal and marine tourism [2].
Cables and pipelines
Across all sea basins, countries are connected by numerous submarine cables such as telecommunication cables that carry digital data, electrical cables that carry energy, and pipelines that transport oil or gas.
Most cables are buried beneath the seabed or are protected externally. However, some cables remain partially or totally unburied and lie on the surface of the sea floor. Pipelines are fixed and laid in protected trenches.
Cables and pipelines are strategic elements for the functioning of the globalized economy as they connect countries and continents and transport key flows. Disruption of their functioning could result in severe financial damage and impact key sectors. For pipelines the effects can be even more serious, as damage to pipelines can also cause serious environmental impacts.
Pipelines are mainly owned by private oil and gas companies, while telecom cables are owned by public limited companies and electricity cables by Transmission System Operators (TSOs). International key players are The European Subsea Cables Association [3] and the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) [4].
For more European statistics and data you can also visit the Eurostat website
- References
Existing co-existence and multi-use initiatives
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