Closed Reefs Cost Money. A Colombian Coral Island May Have The Solution.

Colombia’s tourism board has joined several organizations in piloting new tech that uses seawater to detect stress in marine ecosystems, before visible damage occurs.

The results of the pilot, which took place in the San Andrés archipelago in June 2025, are being shared exclusively with Skift, and will form a handbook giving destination managers evidence-led guidance on how to manage tourism.

The Explorers Club, a society focused on scientific exploration, and Coralina, the local environmental authority of San Andrés, who also participated in the scheme, called the San Andrés Marine Mosaic Project say it is a first for the travel industry. Together, the group collected samples from more than 20 sites, including healthy and damaged coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds.

The team behind the project says the data could help determine whether areas should be used for recreational tourism or regenerative tourism.

“There are tourists wh