The environmental sustainability of tourist ports: a web communication analysis

Protecting coastal and marine environments is crucial for the sustainable development of a tourist destination. In line with the growing environmental concerns of tourists, various potential environmental impacts caused by tourist ports have consequently stimulated measures to mitigate environmental risks and damages. Nevertheless, there is a lack of research investigating how tourist ports address and communicate environmental issues. This study aims to fill this gap by examining and highlighting the information on environmental issues and green practices presented on the official websites of 93 Italian tourist ports. Our results indicate that Italian tourist ports illustrate low sustainability commitment and disclose limited information about environmental issues on their websites.