How Underwater Resorts Could Save the Coral Reefs Patrick Clarke - Travel Pulse
go to original March 8, 2016

The concept of an underwater resort is a polarizing one. Nonetheless, the potential benefits of developing one possibly extend beyond the inevitable tourism draw.

Los Angeles-based Reef Worlds, which is currently working on a one-of-a-kind theme park marine sanctuary in Dubai, was essentially founded on the benefits this type of investment can have on nature and conservation efforts.

"My team and I were lamenting that at every hotel resort we went to in the Mediterranean and Mexico, the near-shore reef system was just gone, like a nuke went off," Reef Worlds founder Patric Douglas told Smithsonian.com. "So the question became, what can we do to rehabilitate that, and what's the tourism angle?"

"All of these resorts are 200 feet from the ocean, but have nothing to do with the ocean."

The allure of diving is effectively the tourism angle when it comes to an underwater resort. With coral reefs vanishing quickly, tourists can't travel to just any coast or island to see them anymore, thus making them a key asset for competing hotels and resorts.

Read the rest at Travel Pulse

Related: An Underwater Luxury Hotel Experience for the Common Traveler (Travel Pulse)

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