As marine environments edge ever closer to ecological tipping points, we are called—urgently and collectively, to rethink the systems we inhabit and profit from. One of those systems is tourism, particularly the intersection between marine ecotourism, cruise branding, and ocean conservation. These sectors have long existed in uneasy tension: one anchored in grassroots sustainability and community empowerment, the other in scale, spectacle, and carbon intensity. But what if convergence, rather than conflict, is possible?

Inspired by Sir David Attenborough’s 2025 documentary Ocean, I recently published an article that investigates this question in depth. The work examines how the cruise industry, often criticised for its environmental footprint, might pivot through strategic rebranding, policy integration, and regenerative partnerships with marine ecotourism to become a more aligned actor in the blue economy.

The full article is now available on ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/392093579_Blue_Horizons_Integrating_Marine_Ecotourism_Cruise_Branding_and_Ocean_Conservation_in_the_Wake_of_David_Attenborough's_Ocean

In Blue Horizons: Integrating Marine Ecotourism, Cruise Branding, and Ocean Conservation in the Wake of David Attenborough’s Ocean, I argue that this isn’t just a marketing question, it’s a matter of climate ethics, institutional transformation, and planetary responsibility. The article draws on the latest research in sustainable tourism, environmental communication, regenerative development, and marine spatial governance, offering practical and theoretical insights for scholars and practitioners alike.

Here are some of the questions I hope this paper sparks in our community:

• What will it take for the cruise sector to become a genuine contributor to ocean protection, beyond CSR statements and symbolic offsets?
• How can marine ecotourism scale without compromising its core principles of local empowerment and ecological integrity?
• Is regenerative tourism just an emerging trend, or can it provide the structure for real systemic change?
• Can branding strategy in the travel industry become a mechanism for ethical transformation, not just image management?

If you are working on any of these issues, or hold contrasting views, I’d be honoured to hear from you. My aim is to build dialogue across sectors: between marine scientists, tourism scholars, climate communicators, policy makers, and branding professionals. Let’s interrogate the narratives, challenge the assumptions, and envision what an ocean-positive future could actually look like.

Warmly, Henrik G.S. Arvidsson Researcher in entrepreneurship and branding | Business Consultant (ex McKinsey & Co | Former Sea-captain( before studying business and becoming a boring economist :-) )