A resort island is a mass of land that is surrounded by water, to which many people go for recreation or rest. Resort island can defined as an island or an archipelago that contains resorts, hotels, overwater bungalows, restaurants, tourist attractions and its amenities, and might offer all-inclusive accommodations. It primary focus on tourism services and offer leisure, adventure, and amusement opportunities.Resort island is often confused or identified with island resort, which is a resort located on an island. Island resort is almost the same with seaside resort or beach resort, which offers beaches and water sport activities, such as sunbathing, swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving and surfing, the only difference is that seaside resorts might located on the continent's seaside, while island resorts must be located on an island or archipelago.
Resort islands mostly rely on their natural environment to attract visitors, such as beaches, biodiversity of coral reefs and forest, or secluded and private locations. Others might rely on their man-made built attractions, such as spas, amusement parks, casinos or nightlife.If the settlement of a resort on a small island often entails serious environmental degradation (reef digging, sewage, sand pumping...) in the long run they can provide a shelter for heavily poached species, as resorts own security services that no marine protected area can afford.