Tourism embraces a range of activities, all of which tend to have a varying degree of impact on coastal and marine habitats and associated biodiversity. Because international tourism tends to be so competitive, individual countries often target different groups of individuals depending on the country's assets - culture, history, nature etc- potentially indirectly targeting different individuals - senior citizens vs. young women for example. In addition to typical environmental damage from resort development such as destruction of mangroves, seagrasses, corals, and beach erosion tourism has a suite of economic and social impacts as well. Root causes for the social disruption are often the excess consumption of local resources and destruction of sensitive habitats.

Over the years, a scenario, called the 'self destruct theory', initially formulated by Stanley Plogg, has developed. It consists of a series of steps. Initially an exotic location offers an ideal location for relaxation. Tourism promotion attracts mainly middle class individuals. Seen as a reliable and lucrative source of income, more and more hotels and tourism facilities are developed to attract more and more tourists, loosing it 'remote paradise' connotation. As a consequence, local revenues generated from tourist activities increase, rich tourists move elsewhere and social interactions between tourists and locals have a variety of consequences. The country then resorts to mass tourism, appealing to individuals of a lower class income, often leading to the social and environmental degradation of the tourism environment.
Success in tourism planning comes when it assumes a holistic approach, encompassing a wide range of economic, social, political and environmental aspects.

Ecotourism initiatives provide tourism support initiatives in beautiful places whilst minimally disrupting the environment, often actively supporting the conservation of sensitive habitats, and minimally disrupting traditional lifestyle. Ecotourism is a leading conservation force in countries such as Costa Rica and Dominica. However, in order for ecotourism to be the driving conservation force it can be, access controls such as carrying capacity need to be put in place to ensure that natural resources are not overexploited.