Yes, the practice of "beach nourishment"—the importation of sand to combat erosion—is a multi-billion dollar global industry essential for maintaining tourism-dependent coastlines. Most people are surprised to learn that famous beaches like Waikiki in Hawaii, Copacabana in Brazil, and many stretches of Miami Beach are at least partially artificial. Sand is often "imported" from offshore by massive dredging ships that suck up sediment from the ocean floor and pipe it back onto the shore. In more extreme cases, sand is transported by truck or barge from inland quarries or even from other countries; for example, some Caribbean resorts have historically imported white sand from the Bahamas or the Sahara to enhance their aesthetic appeal. While these projects protect valuable beachfront real estate and provide recreational space, they are often criticized as "temporary band-aids" because the same natural forces of wind and waves that caused the initial erosion will inevitably wash the new sand away, requiring the expensive process to be repeated every few years to prevent the coastline from disappearing.