Tourism Gateway 3 Flashcards

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1
Q

Economic Impacts of tourism: Employment opportunities

A

Point: Employment opportunities

Elaboration: The growth of tourism has led to a growth in tourism-related jobs, such as people who work in hotels, transportation, souvenir shops and travel agencies.
Some jobs are:
*Directly linked to the tourism industry, e.g. travel agents, tour guides, hotel staff, waiters
*Indirectly linked to the tourism industry, e.g. taxi drivers, shop owners

Example: In 2011, the World Trade Organisation estimated that the tourism industry employed over 235 million people in the world (6-8% of all jobs in the world)

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2
Q

Economic Impacts of tourism: Growth in income

A

Point: Growth in income

Elaboration: Growth in tourism can lead to a growth in come for individuals and for a country. Locals can supplement their normal income for tourism related jobs. Tour companies will also experience an increase in revenue due to the influx of tourist. This will lead to an increase in revenue for the country through the taxes collected by the government.

Example: On Pamilacan Island in the Philippines, local fishermen can earn between US$80-US$100 by taking tourist to look for and swim with the whale sharks and dolphins

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3
Q

Economic Impacts of tourism: Infrastructure development needed for large scale tourism

A

Point: Infrastructure development needed for large scale tourism

Elaboration: The transport and communication networks developed to facilitate tourism can also allow locals better access to more markets, health care, education and jobs. The building of the infrastructure also creates employment for locals and local material may also be used in the building process. This spending in the local economy will encourage economic growth.

Example: In Athens, Greece, the underground rail systems were expanded to accommodate more tourists during the Summer Olympic Games of 2004. The rail systems continue to serve locals and tourist even after the games.

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4
Q

Economic Impacts of tourism: Seasonal Unemployment

A

Point: Seasonal Unemployment

Elaboration: Some tourist activities depend on climatic conditions. These countries may experience an increase in tourists during certain times of the year followed by a drop. As a result, people may have to find other work during this period and decreases their income, which in turn affects the economy of that country.

Example: Many beach resorts along the east coast of Malaysia are closed from November to March due to the floods brought by the monsoon season. The people employed in the tourism industry have to find other sources of income at that time

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5
Q

Economic Impacts of tourism: Underuse of facilities

A

Point: Underuse of facilities

Elaboration: Certain facilities built for specific activities or events may be underused either due to the seasonal nature of the activity or when the event is over. When this happens, the money from tourist used to maintain the facility will decrease and the facilities will become neglected. Government will have to spend public money to upkeep the facilities.

Example: Some of the venues built for the Olympic Games in Beijing, China was reportedly deteriorating a few years after the Olympics, and some had to be renovated by the government for other uses.

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6
Q

Economic Impacts of tourism: Shortage of services

A

Point: Shortage of services

Elaboration: Tourist facilities may require the use of large amounts of electricity, water and land. This could lead to a shortage of such services in non-tourists’ areas. Which in turn can lead to conflicts between the local people and tourists.

Example: Large amounts of water and electricity are required for hotels and tourist facilities in Bali, Indonesia. This leads to water and power being diverted to meet the needs of tourist who can pay more for these services than locals.

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7
Q

Socio-cultural Impacts of tourism: Preservation of culture and local customs

A

Point: Preservation of culture and local customs

Elaboration: Historical and cultural sites within a country may be preserved and restored to make the place more attractive to tourist. Ther restored sites also benefit the local population as they enhance their sense of history and build a sense of belonging to their community.

Example: The historical Christ Church is Malacca has been restored and is now a monument of Malacca’s colonial past as well as a tourist attraction.

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8
Q

Socio-cultural Impacts of tourism: Dilution of cultural and local customs

A

Point: Dilution of cultural and local customs

Elaboration: Identity, culture and values of a place can be lost due to tourism development. Older buildings may be converted to host tourist activities displacing the original activities to other locations and hence causing the original atmosphere, appearance and function of an area to change. Local cultural festival and religious rituals are modified to fit the schedules of tourists, thus reducing the authenticity and significance of these cultural events.

Example: For example, restaurants and souvenir shops catered to tourist have replaced many of the original shops in Singapore’s Chinatown. Also, many religious dances in Bali which are usually only performed on special occasions, are shortened to fit the schedule of tourists and are often repeated many times a day.

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9
Q

Socio-cultural Impacts of tourism: Increased crime

A

Point: Increased crime

Elaboration: Tourists often travel with valuable items such as watches and camaras and may carry large amounts of money. This makes them a target for thieves and robbers. Tourists are also prone to being cheated in many tourist areas where information, goods and services are sold at greatly inflated prices.

Example: The Louvre, which is a famous art museum in Paris, attracting tourist from around the world, was forced to close in April of 2013 as a staff walked out in protest of the increasing problem of pickpockets preying on tourist. They were demanding for more police to be made available.

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10
Q

Environmental Impacts of tourism: Conservation of natural environments

A

Point: Conservation of natural environments

Elaboration: Many natural areas may be conserved as tourist visit due to the natural scenic beauty. Without tourism, many of these places might have been destroyed to extract natural resources e.g. forestry and mining. A positive impact of tourism is that it provides funding to help natural conserve environments through the collection of entrance fees as well as levies on nearby accommodations

Example: Sepilok Orang-utan rehabilitation centre in Sabah, Malaysia relies partly on visitor entrance fees to pay its staff who help rehabilitate orang-utans who have been orphaned or injured.

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11
Q

Environmental Impacts of tourism: Increased congestion

A

Point: Increased congestion

Elaboration: Large numbers of tourists cause congestion near attractions due to the pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Shops and accommodations that are located there also add to the congestion. This congestion can cause increased air and noise pollution to the local residents living in the area. Congestion also hinders locals from carrying out their daily activities such as increased travelling time to get to work or home.

Example: In Rome, Italy, the older walkways and narrow streets cannot cope with the large number of tourists visiting this historic city and is often very congested. Leading to traffic jams and increased air pollution due to the many tour buses in the area.

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12
Q

Environmental Impacts of tourism: Vandalism

A

Point: Vandalism

Elaboration: Individuals or developers may deliberately damage cultural, historical or natural sites. Tourists may damage sites by going into culturally or environmentally sensitive areas, destroying artefacts or trampling or fragile vegetation. Developers who build in tourist areas without proper authorization may also cause damage to sensitive natural areas, such as the smothering of coral reefs due to coastal developments.

Example: 10 million visitors visit the Great Wall of China a year. Thousands of stones and bricks that were used to make the Great Wall are covered by graffiti left by the tourists.

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13
Q

Environmental Impacts of tourism: Pollution and littering

A

Point: Pollution and littering

Elaboration: Increased numbers of people lead to the generation of additional waste. Measures to manage waste left by tourist may be inadequate or not be implemented properly by authorities. This can cause a lot of environmental problems as the waste is not properly disposed of or dumped illegally.

Example: Many islands in the Caribbean have limited land to treat waste from the cruise ships that visit the islands, and the liquid and solid wastes may be dumped overboard by the ships, damaging or destroying marine ecosystems such as coral reefs.

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14
Q

Environmental Impacts of tourism: Destruction of habitats

A

Point: Destruction of habitats

Elaboration: Popular tourist sites can be overwhelmed with visitors during busy times of the year. When too many tourists visit a destination, they may destroy habitats and wildlife. Careless tourists trample on plants, while others collect eggs and feathers of birds as souvenirs. These tourists make too much noise which can disturb and frighten off animals

Example: Swimmers and divers collecting shells and coral as souvenirs and hotels and restaurants dumping waste and sewage into the sea have damaged the coral reefs of Egypt’s Red Sea coast.

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15
Q

Environmental Impacts of tourism: Increased carbon footprint

A

Point: Increased carbon footprint

Elaboration: This refers to the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that would be produced by activities that involve the use of fossil fuels. Increased tourism has also increased the amount of fossil fuels burnt to provide the energy required by tourists. Increased global tourism has contributed to increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, exacerbating the effects of climate change.

Example: Each passenger flying between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur causes the emission of 30kg of CO2.

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16
Q

How tourism can be made sustainable: Conservation of fragile environments

A

Point: Conservation of fragile environments

Elaboration: The careful management and use of fragile environments are important because these environments are easily affected by change. This can be achieved through laws and regulations to establish nature reserves or ban damaging activity. A well-protected environment attracts more tourists to visit and previous tourists to return. The arrival of tourists can benefit the locals economically and motivate them to care for the sites properly.

Example: The Great Barrier Reef in Australia was designated a marine park in 1975 and protects a large part of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef from damaging activities. Fishing and the removal of artifacts or wildlife is strictly regulated, and commercial shipping traffic must stick to certain specific defined shipping routes that avoid the most sensitive areas of the park.

17
Q

How tourism can be made sustainable: Community based tourism

A

Point: Community based tourism

Elaboration: Sustainable tourism also involves minimising leakages from tourist revenues.
Different strategies are adopted to reduce leakages:
*Training locals to perform skilled tourism jobs, e.g. management, marketing
*Developing homestay accommodations where visitors can pay local people directly for their accommodation
*Promoting local food and drink in restaurants to provide a market for local food producers and distributors
This can ensure that money spent by the tourists will directly benefit the local people living in the tourist area.

Example: Villages from Candierjo Village, Indonesia, with the support of the government, started a cooperative in 2003 to implement community-based tourism programs. By 2004, the village reported 65 new jobs, 12 more homestays, 5 new businesses, and a 12.5% increase in average income.

18
Q

What are the tensions in managing the impacts of tourism: Tensions between tourists and locals

A

Point: Tensions between tourists and locals.

Elaboration: The needs of tourists may conflict with the needs of locals. Tourist facilities may deprive some locals of services. Locals expect tourists to respect local customs and values. However, tourists sometimes fail to do so.

Example: Bali is visited by many tourists for its natural and cultural landscape. However, locals have to compete with tourists for land and other services. The building of tourist attractions and facilities have deprived the locals of land and some local areas may not have enough electricity and water as these are diverted to tourist areas. Locals may still object to tourists wearing skimpy clothing and who display public displays of affection, while tourists view it as acceptable.

19
Q

What are the tensions in managing the impacts of tourism: Managing tensions between tourists and the environment.

A

Point: Managing tensions between tourists and the environment

Elaboration: The desire of tourists to visit these places and the need to shield these places from the impacts of humans. The need to provide tourist facilities and infrastructure and the need to conserve these places from destruction.

Example: Machu Pichu is an ancient Inca city located in the mountains of Peru, visited by over 3000 tourists a day. Planning authorities have to limit the number of tourists allowed to visit the site to minimize the trampling of vegetation as well as the impact of tourists wearing down the city as they walk around. They have also banned helicopter flights into the area as this disturbs local wildlife.

20
Q

Measures for managing the tensions: Government authorities play an important role in balancing and resolving tensions

A

Point: Government authorities play an important role in balancing and resolving tensions

Elaboration: Government organisations impose measures to help balance the needs of tourists against the needs of the environment. Limit number of visitors to minimise congestion and degradation. Withhold permission to proceed with tourism-related projects that could harm the environment. Employ staff to maintain and repair sites and prevent tourists from tampering with it. Hold discussions with locals on their needs and concerns. Restrict tourists from areas where only locals could enter.

21
Q

Stakeholders in protecting tourist areas and promoting sustainable tourism: Local communities

A

-Local communities living around or in a tourist area can play a key role in conserving and protecting that area because they are usually the main users of the natural resources in the area.

-The cooperation of local communities is especially important when their use of the natural resources comes into direct conflict with tourism.

-Locals can benefit economically from tourism by developing community-based tourism programs such as homestay accommodations, producing handicrafts and providing catering and guiding services.

-However, local communities may find it difficult to obtain funds when setting up businesses or investing in vehicles to facilitate tourism. Also, local communities may not have enough skilled labour to successfully manage the businesses.

22
Q

Stakeholders in protecting tourist areas and promoting sustainable tourism: Visitors

A

-Visitors have a duty to visit without causing offence to the local people and to the environment

-By doing research on the locations they visit, visitors can select accommodation, tour operators and food that will help to generate benefits for the local communities and reducer their carbon footprint.

  • Staying in local home stays, employing local guides and taking local transport will prevent leakage of income.

-Eating locally produced food will reduce the carbon footprint as food does not have to be imported.

23
Q

Stakeholders in protecting tourist areas and promoting sustainable tourism: Tour operators

A

-Tour operators can set up associations concerned with conserving and protecting tourist areas.

-Tourists spend much of their time at tourist sites with their tour guides and thus tour operators are often in the best position to regulate tourist behaviour.

24
Q

Stakeholders in protecting tourist areas and promoting sustainable tourism: non-government organisations (NGO’s)

A

-NGO’s concerned with the impact of tourism on the natural and human environment have been set up

-NGO’s can act as channels of communications between various stakeholders, for example, between locals and planning authorities

25
Q

Stakeholders in protecting tourist areas and promoting sustainable tourism: Planning authorities

A

-E.g. The STB ensures that while attracting large numbers of tourist to Singapore, they also take into account the need to conserve national heritage. This will give locals and tourist a greater appreciation of Singapore’s rich heritage.

-They can develop and maintain infrastructure, such as roads and hotels, which help to manage tourism impacts in an area

-They also draft laws and policies that help to maintain or improve a tourist site by limiting the number of visitors or regulating the types of activities allowed in the area