 The global economic downturn has reduced spending on expensive leisure activities, reducing the income of tourism destinations, including scuba diving charters and diving schools, and political instability deters visitors to a region

Liability issues can be managed by the use of waivers, adherence to industry best standards, and public liability insurance.A large proportion of divers visiting tropical coral reef destinations are international travellers – circumstances that may induce them not to travel, or not to visit a particular region can have a strong influence on the viability of a diving operation.A study on diving tourism in East Africa showed that the major environmental risks for that region are overfishing and marine pollution.