In the United States, researchers from the University of Rhode Island analysed the link between tourism and offshore wind farms. Their conclusion was that Block Island – the first wind farm in the US – was greatly boosting tourism in the area. For their study, the researchers analysed bookings through Airbnb for about three years and found that about 20% more bookings were recorded than before the wind turbines were built. The researchers also found that interest in visiting Block Island rose sharply.

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Offshore tourism in Flanders

Precise figures about the impact of wind farms on coastal tourism in Flanders are not yet available. What is certain is that thousands of people enjoy a day trip to the wind farms in the North Sea every summer. In fact, in the summer of 2018, more than 6,000 tourists took a trip to the wind turbines on the Thornton Bank, some 30 kilometres off the Belgian coast.