The Interaction Between Microplastic Pollution and Tourism: A Qualitative Research in The Context of Sustainability

Today, microplastic pollution is one of the most important threats to environmental sustainability. The tourism sector brings forth both plastic consumption and waste excretion at high levels, while being an economic activity adversely affected by environmental degradation. Relevant areas of tourism, especially coastal tourism, are both a provider and a victim of pollution since coin sedative used plastics, cosmetics residues, and textile fibers, toxic materials, are collected and swept into the sea by nature itself. Increased density of tourists causes a faster mix-up of items into the sea, adversely affecting further environmental quality and environmental quality perception and therefore destination image and happiness of tourist visitors. The aim of this study is to explain the interaction of Microplastic pollution and tourism from the sustainability perspective. A descriptive qualative study was conducted in which the environmental, economic and perceptual dimension of microplastics presence in the tourist areas are gathered by document analysis. They reported that microplastic accumulation increases during periods of heightened tourist presence and have a detrimental effect on perceived destination image and environmental quality. They found that single-use plastics, cosmetic products and microplastics from textiles are a significant source of pollution specifically in coastal/marine tourism areas, while ecotourism practices, “plastic-free shores and plastic-free waters” initiatives, eco-friendly hotel policies and blue-flag standards are important sustainability arena tools for microplastic awareness and assistance in waste reduction. As a result, microplastic pollution not only depicts an environmental issue, but also constitutes a risk area, demanding comprehensive and long-term sustainability measures for the tourism industry.