Tourism Flashcards
Why has there been an increase in global tourism? (Economically)
- People have more disposable income, so can afford to go on more holidays
- Companies now give more paid holidays so people have more free time so go on more holidays
- Travel has become cheaper so more people can afford
- Holiday providers (e.g. hotels and tour companies) can now use the internet to sell their products to people directly which makes them cheaper so more people can afford to go away.
Why has there been an increase in global tourism? (socially)
- The media
- Retirement
Why has there been an increase in global tourism? (other)
- There are improvements in technology such as cheaper flights, low cost airlines like easyjet, more accessible airports.
- There is now a greater choice, as many unusual tourist destination shave become better at marketing themselves so more people are aware.
- Many countries have invested in infrastructure for tourism (e.g. better hotels) to make them more attractive to visitors.
Why are cities, mountains and coasts popular tourist destinations?
- Cities:
- culture entertainment and shopping
- London, New York, Paris and Rome - Mountains:
- beautiful scenery, activities like walking, climbing, skiing and snow boarding.
- Alps, Rockies, Dolomites - Coasts:
- beaches, activities like swimming, snorkelling, fishing and water skiing.
- Spain, Caribbean and Thailand
Why is tourism economically important?
- Tourism helps to create jobs for local people which helps the economy to grow.
- Increases the income of other businesses that supply the tourism industry, e.g. farms that supply food to the hotels, this also helps the economy to grow.
- Tourism is important to the economy of countries in both rich and poor parts of the world e.g. tourism in France generated 35 billion euros in 2006 and created 2 million jobs.
- Poorer countries tend to be more dependent on the income form tourism, than richer ones
- Since the jobs do not need skill given by education and are formal so are more secure than jobs in the informal sector.
- Preserves the culture
- Improves infrastructure and standard of living
- Provides income to country e.g. tourism contributes to 3% of the UK’s GNP, compared to 15% of Kenya’s.
Explain how tourism contributes to the UK economy
- In 2008 there were 32 million overseas visitors to Britain
- The UK is popular with tourists because of the countryside and historic landmarks, e.g. Big Ben and Stonehedge and famous churches and cathedrals e.g. Saint Paul’s cathedral and its castles and palaces e.g. Edinburgh Castle and Buckingham Palace.
- London is particularly popular for its museums, theatres and shopping and it is the destination for half the visitors to the UK
- In 2007 tourism contributed £114 million o the economy and employed 1.4 million people
What are some of the factors which affect the number of tourists visiting the UK?
- Bad weather: can discourage tourists from visiting the UK e.g. a really wet summer in 2007 was blamed for a drop in the number of overseas tourists.
- World economy: in times of recession people tend to cut back on luxuries like holidays, so fewer overseas visitors come to the Uk, however it is not all bad as more UK citizens will choose to holiday in the UK.
- Exchange rate: the value of the pound compared to other currencies affects the number of tourists, if it is low the UK is cheaper to visit so more overseas visitors come.
- Terrorism and conflict: wars and terrorist threats mean people are less willing to visit affected areas. Tourism feel sharply after the London bombing on 7th July 2005.
- Major events: big events can attract huge numbers of people e.g. Liverpool was European Capital of Culture in 2005 and as a result 3.5 million people visited that hadn’t been before.
EXTERNAL FACTORS:
-9/11 more reluctant to board a plane (terrorism and conflict on other countries)
-currency
Describe the exploration stage on the Butler Resort Life-Cycle Model
- The first stage
- A small number of visitors are attracted to the area e.g. by the scenery or by the culture
- There are few tourists facilities
- Genuine contact between tourists and locals
- Tourism has little environmental, cultural or economic impact
Describe the involvement stage on the Butler Resort Life-Cycle Model
- The second stage
- Locals start providing facilities for tourists, which attracts more visitors, however the number of visitors is still small
- A tourist season and a market area can be identified
Describe the development stage on the Butler Resort Life-Cycle Model
- The third stage
- More and more visitors come as more facilities are built
- Control of facilities passes from locals to external big organisations who advertise
- Tensions between locals and tourists develop
Describe the consolidation stage on the Butler Resort Life-Cycle Model
- The fourth stage
- Tourism becomes a major contributor to the local economy, providing secure jobs and income
- Visitor numbers peak
- Tourist numbers are beginning to level off
- Tensions between locals and tourists still remain
- Some older facilities need upgrading
Describe the stagnation stage on the Butler Resort Life-Cycle Model
- The fifth stage
- Visitors numbers have peaked and stay high but begin to fall
- Facilities need refurbishment as the resort becomes unfashionable and they are no longer as good and tourists have had a negative impact on the local environment, making the area less attractive to visit
Describe the decline stage on the Butler Resort Life-Cycle Model
- The sixth stage
- Fewer visitors come as the area is less attractive. This leads to decline of the area as facilities become run down or shut: an immediate/major decline or a slow decline
Describe the rejuvenation stage on the Butler Resort Life-Cycle Model
- The sixth stage
- If the area is rejuvenated then more visitors will come as they are attracted by the new facilities
- Attempts to modernise
What are some of the criticisms of the Butler Model?
- Resorts grow at different rates dependent on e.g. accessibility, planning restrictions and government influence
- Length of stay and spending power of visitor is ignored
- Tourism can lead to environment improvements rather than degradation
- Large companies can protect in the latter stages
- Ignores impact of surrounding resorts
- Not all resorts pass though the six stages
What is Butler (1980)?
The six stages based on changes in visitor numbers over time.
The model says that any tourist resort starts on a small scale, develops into something more significant, then either goes into decline or makes changes to maintain its attractions.
What are some of the positive impacts of mass tourism?
Economic:
-Brings money into the local economy
-It creates jobs for the local people and increases the income of industries that supply tourism e.g. farming (sell food to the hotels)
Social:
-Lot of jobs created so more likely that young people will stay in the area
-Improved infrastructure, roads and communications for tourists also benefit the local people.
-Income from tourism can be reinvested in local community project.
Environment:
-Income from tourism can be reinvested in protecting the environment e.g. to run National Parks of pay for conservation work.
What are some of the negative impacts of mass tourism?
Economic:
-A lot of the profit made from tourism is kept by large travel companies, rather than going to the local economy.
Social:
-The tourism jobs available to locals are often badly paid and seasonal and higher up jobs may go to foreigners.
-Traffic congestion caused by tourists can cause an inconvenience to local people
-The behaviour of some tourists can offend local causing tensions.
Environment:
-Transporting lots of people long distances releases lots of GHGs that cause global warming.
-Tourism can increase littler and cause pollution e.g. increased sewage can cause river pollution.
-Tourism can lead to the destruction of natural habitats e.g. sightseeing boats can damage coral reefs.
How can they reduce the negative impacts of mass tourism?
- Improving public transport encourages tourist to use it and reduces congestion and pollution.
- Limiting the number of people visiting sensitive environments e.g. coral reefs, reduces damage.
- Providing lots of bins can help reduce litter.
How can you maintain tourism?
- Build new facilities or improve existing ones e.g. build new hotels.
- Reduce any tourist impacts that make the area less attractive e.g. litter and traffic congestion
- Advertise and market the area to attract new tourists e.g. use TV to advertise in other countries.
- Improve transport infrastructure to make it quicker and easier to get to the area.
- Offer new activities to attract tourists that don’t normally go there.
- Make it cheaper to visit, e.g. lower entrance fees to attractions.
What are the environmental benefits of ecotourism?
- Local people are encouraged to conserve the environment rather than use it for activities that can be damaging e.g logging or farming. This is because they can only earn money from ecotourism if the environment isn’t damaged.
- It reduces poaching and hunting, since locals will benefit more from protecting these species for tourism that if they killed them.
- Ecotourism projects try to reduce the use of fossil fuels, e.g by using renewable energy sources and local food (which isn’t transported as far so less fossil fuel is used). Using less fossil fuel is better for the environment as burning fossil furls adds to global warming.
- Waste that tourists create is disposed of carefully to prevent pollution.
What are the economic benefits of ecotourism?
- Ecotourism creates jobs for local people (e.g as guided or in tourist lodges), which helps the local economy grow.
- Local people not directly employed in tourism can also make money by selling local crafts to visitors or suppling the tourist industry with goods e.g. Food.
What are the benefits from ecotourism for local people?
- People have better and more stable incomes in ecotourism than in other jobs e.g. Farming.
- Many ecotourism schemes fund community projects e.g. Schools, water tanks and health centres.
How does ecotourism help the sustainable development of areas?
- Sustainable development means improving the quality of life for people, but doing it in a way that doesn’t stop people in the future getting what they need (by not damaging the environment or depleting resources).
- Ecotourism helps areas to develop by increasing the quality of life for local people - the profits from ecotourism can be used to build schools or healthcare facilities.
- The development is sustainable because jt is done without damaging the environment - without ecotourism people may have to make a living to improve their lives by doing something that harms the environment, e.g. Cutting down trees.