The splendour of tourist destinations and their natural beauty are essential to maintain such demand, so the future of the cruise industry depends on and is inextricably linked to environmental performance and compliance.
Although the cruise industry represents just a small portion of the international maritime activity, and environmental issues associated with it is not unique to this sector, cruise ships and their passengers and crews generate a more significant volume of waste and pollutant emissions, both while underway and docked in port, with an also more important effect on the subset of ports and coastal areas along cruise routes.