C. Mass Tourism

Question 1

What is mass tourism?

Answer 1

Mass tourism refers to the movement of a large number of organised tourists to popular holiday destinations for recreational purposes.

It is a phenomenom which is characterised by the use of standardised package products and mass consumption.

Question 2

How many tourists a year does Mallorca recieve?

Answer 2

Mallorca, one of the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, recieves 10 million tourists each year.

Question 3

What are the positive sociocultural impacts of mass tourism to Mallorca?

Answer 3

Some agro-tourism may promote local culture - inland Mallorca has retained its culture and keeps hold of its local traditions

Question 4

What are the negative sociocultural impacts of mass tourism on traditional culture in Mallorca?

Answer 4

• Local dialect and traditions are under threat
• English spoken as lingua franca in tourist areas instead of Spanish
• Local cuisine and culture has been outcompeted by western culture, especially British.
• Lack of integration with locals
• Purchase of second homes pushes housing prices up, displacing rural people who can not afford to move out, and creates hostility from locals towards new European owners

Question 5

What are the negative sociocultural impacts of mass tourism within tourist areas in Mallorca?

Answer 5

• Punta Ballina aka. ‘the Strip’ recieves up to 20,000 visitors each night in the Summer
• €25 wristband allows 7hr access to the bar - drinks are free
• Crowds of drunken and misbehaved tourists
• Sexually explicit drinking games, often with complete strangers
• 15-20 rape cases each summer

Question 6

What are the positive economic impacts of mass tourism in Mallorca?

Answer 6

• Significant revenue generation through accomodation, dining, entertainment etc. which contributes to the overall economy - 85% of GNP from tourism
• Increased tax revenue from tourism - tourist tax alone generates over €120m - to fund infrastructure and development
• Business growth as a result of tourism - island is Spain’s wealthiest province
• Job creation - lowest rate of unemployment in Spain

Question 7

What are the negative economic impacts of mass tourism in Mallorca?

Answer 7

• Absolute economic dependence on tourism (volatile industry e.g. COVID)
• Decline of traditional industry reinforces dependence - agriculture contributes to 2% of GDP
• Seasonality of tourism causes spending and tourist numbers to fluctuate through the year - low incomes / unemployment during off-peak season
• Possibility of exceeding carrying capacity
• Extreme rise in house prices - 30% higher

Question 8

Why was tourist tax introduced to Mallorca?

Answer 8

Tourist tax (or Sustainable Tourism Tax) is a charge levelled by the Balearic Government for almost all visits to Mallorca.

The tax was introduced to manage tourism by helping to inject funds into conserving the environment and to make tourism more sustainable for the island’s ever-incresaing tourist population, particularly in the high season.

Question 9

What are the rates of tourism tax in Mallorca?

Answer 9

The new rates are as follows:

• €4 a day for those staying in luxury hotels
• €3 for mid-range accomodation
• €2 for cruise passengers and cheaper accomodation
• €1 for campers and hostel guests.

The tax is believed to have raised over €120m a year.

Question 10

How was Maya Bay, Ko Phi Phi Ley, Thailand, environmentally degraded by tourism?

Answer 10

• Deforestation on Phi Phi Ley - over 200 hotels built
• Boat trips to Maya Bay disrupt marine life and boat anchors have destroyed at least 50% of Maya Bay’s coral
• Coral also damaged by sewage released from hotels and inappropriate waste disposal

Question 11

How was Maya Bay shown to be over carrying capacity, and what was the reaction?

Answer 11

• In peak popularity of 2018, as many as 6,000 people were rolling into Maya Bay
• Images of thousands of tourists in an ostensibly protected national park caused widespread outrage in Thailand, forcing officials to hastily close the beach in 2018

Question 12

How was Boracay, Philippines, degraded, and what was the reaction?

Answer 12

Boracay shut down for 6 months due to degradation from:

• Lack of adequate waste disposal - rubbish burnt in heaps
• Air pollution
• Raw sewage pumped into the ocean
• Eutrophication leading to algal blooms and destruction of wildlife
• Huge deforestation from 2000-2015

Question 13

What are the negative environmental impacts from cruise tourism?

Answer 13

• 1.04lb solid waste (rubbish) sent to landfill per passenger per day
• Cruise ships in Carribean estimated to produce more than 70,000 tonnes of wastewater / year
• From 2014-2016, Royal Carribbean Cruises increased its greenhouse gases emissions from 4.41 to 4.46 million tonnes

Question 14

What are the positive economic impacts of cruise tourism in terms of employment and revenue?

Answer 14

• Marine tourism industry generates 200 million jobs
• For every $100,000 invested into tourism, 50 jobs are created
• In 2016, around 24 million passengers took a cruise, generating almost £40 million in revenue?
• Carnival Corporation has created 1,100 jobs at Carnival HQ (Southhampton)
• Each turnaround of a Carnival ship provides for 130 subcontractors

Question 15

Which two companies account for the majority of passengers?

Answer 15

Two companies, Carnival Corporation and Royal Carribean Cruises, account for ~70% of all cruise passengers.

Question 16

How was investment increased in Southhampton as a result of Carnival Corporation?

Answer 16

• £19 million ocean cruise terminal created May 2009
• Watermark West Quay created to link retail centre with docked ships
• Royal Pier Plan to create an estimated 3500 jobs during construction and 620 jobs when operational

Question 17

What are the negative social impacts of cruise tourism?

Answer 17

• The largest ships carry 6000 passengers - can easily overcrowd a tourist destination
• Cruise ships carrying thousands of people can provide an environment for the rapid spread of contagious diseases and outbreaks of gastroenteritis and Legionnaire’s disease

Question 18

How has Venice responded to cruise ships?

Answer 18

Protests by residents against cruise ships has led to cruise ships being banned from docking at Venice as of 2021

Question 19

How have tourist numbers at the Galapagos increased between 1960 and 2022?

Answer 19

Visitor numbers

1960: 1,000
2022: 267,000

Question 20

What are the environmental reasons for the development of the Galapagos as a tourist destination?

Answer 20

• Renowned for biodiversity and uniqueness of wild species [Galapagos Marine Reserve, World Heritage Site since 1978]
• Uniqe activities such as trekking on Sierra Negra, snorkel diving or taking boat tours

Question 21

What are the economic reasons for the development of the Galapagos as a tourist destination?

Answer 21

• Two main airports - Seymour and San Cristobal
• Growth of small-scale cruise tourism (max.100 passengers)
• Marketed by Ecuadorian travel agencies - approximately 80% of visitors come from Ecuador, facilitated by discounted rates of travel, accomodation and entrance fees.
• Tourism primary sector for economic development of Galapagos

Question 22

What are the social reasons for the development of the Galapagos as a tourist destination?

Answer 22

• Growing awareness of need for sustainability and conservation spread by media e.g. Attenborough’s Planet Earth
• Decreasing interest in traditional forms of tourism (package holidays) and subsequent rise in ecotourism
• Increase of immigration to the Galapagos from the mainland due to employment opportunities
• World-class destination for scuba divers due to abundance of marine life

Question 23

What are the political reasons for the development of the Galapagos as a tourist destination?

Answer 23

• In 1974, the Ecuadorian government formed a national body to improve tourism such as travel agencies and hotels
• In 1984, the ‘Master Plan for Tourism’ was introduced but due to poor promotion of tourism in Ecuador, it was not successful. However, due to more investment, there has been a subsequent increase.
• Tourism generates revenue for governmental organisations

Question 24

How has the Ecuadorian Government previously set limits on tourism to the Galapagos?

Answer 24

• In 1998, the Special Law for Galapagos and Galapagos Marine Reserve was established
• Ecuadorian government also placed limits on number of tourists arriving via cruise ships (max 100 per ship etc.)

Question 25

What are the historical reasons for the development of the Galapagos as a tourist destination?

Answer 25

• Charles Darwin’s historic visit to the archipelago in 1835 whilst on the second voyage of the HMS Beagle led to the theory of natural selection. Many tourists want to retrace his experiences and learn more at the Charles Darwin Research Centre.
• Late 1950s - a small number of adventure tourists visited Ecuador, and a tourist boom was started after 1969 when the cruise ship ‘Line A’ offered tours to the Galapagos Islands
• In 1965, Seymour Airport (originally a US WW2 air strip) was opened to the public

Question 26

What social issues / impacts does the Galapagos face from population growth?

Answer 26

• Population growth as migrants moved to Galapagos to work in tourism - Population grew by 10% each year from 6,000 in 1980 to 30,000 official residents today
• Not all residents can find work in tourism due to high number of migrant workers, pushing some to work in illegal fishing / poaching
• Not all immigrants have knowledge of conservation practices - dump rubbish overboard
• Enforcement officials unable to keep up with the pace of tourism and damage
• Uncontrolled popn. growth and tourism among 15 issues identified by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee - placed on list of World Heritage in Danger in 2007
• Traditional fishing and farming industries have declined as those living in rural areas moved to urban centres such as Puerto Ayora to work in tourism

Question 27

What indirect environmental issues / impacts does the Galapagos face?

Answer 27

Threat of oil spills from number of boats -

• In 2002, the MV Jessica cargo ship spilled 175,000 gallons of diesel and fuel oil which was destined for a fuel despatch station on Baltra island for the tourist vessel Galapagos Explorer

Threat of invasive species due to increased transport links - seeds from food, insects. Some giant tortoises have been affected by adenovirus (common cold).

Question 27

What environmental issues do tourists themselves directly create?

Answer 27

• Erosion of footpaths due to increased numbers in important biological sites e.g. Bantomelé view point
• Overcrowded sites over carrying capacity potentially affect breeding patterns of wildlife like sea lions, or cause parent birds to abandon chicks

Question 28

What environmental issues do tourist demands create?

Answer 28

• Increased tourist numbers require further construction of hotels and infrastructure, leading to deforestation and loss of biodiversity on 4 inhabited islands of San Cristobal, Santa Cruz, Isabela and Florena
• Increased demand for water and food leads to larger requirements for imports, as well as illegal poaching / fishing
• Increased amounts of waste - San Cristobal has a small landfill site but difficult to manage waste from tourism
• Local divers have damaged black coral formations by turning it into jewellery as souvenirs for tourists.