Tourism gateway 3 Flashcards
Economic impacts of tourism → advantages → Employment
Employment is work performed for a wage or salary, in cash or in kind → the tourism industry forms part of the service sector of an economy → the growth of tourism has led to an increase in the number of tourism related jobs
Ex- In 2011, the UNWTO estimated that the tourism industry employed over 235 million people worldwide
Economic impacts of tourism → advantages → growth in income
growth in tourism → growth in income for individuals and for a country → fishermen are paid between US80-US10 per boat for their service → tourism receipts → money received from tourist spending generates large revenue for many countries → large portion of receipts is lost as a leakage → especially in LDCs → revenue earned is paid to other countries for the import of goods and services
Economic impacts of tourism → advantages → development in infrastructure and facilities
Infrastructure refers to the construction of transport and communication networks → electrical frameworks and systems for water and waste disposal → without sufficient infrastructure and appropriate facilities such as airports roads electricity… → tourism cannot develop and would not be able to operate on a large scale..
Ex- Beijing “bird’s nest” stadium which costs $480 million to build and 11 million a year to maintain has now become a tourism attraction and also used as a venue for sports and entertainment
Economic impacts of tourism → disadvantages → Seasonal unemployment
Seasonal unemployment → certain tourist activities depend on climatic conditions → rise in tourist numbers for several months followed by a drop in tourist numbers for the next few months
Ex- The city of Sapporo in japan, receives a large number of visitors from December to February. many visitors who go during these times plan to engage in winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding
Economic impacts of tourism → disadvantages → under-use of facilities at certain times of the year
Some types of tourism are seasonal → facilities built specifically for certain events → underused when the event is over → income from tourists normally pays for the cost of maintaining such facilities → facilities may become neglected since the number of tourists dropped drastically
Ex- Beijing, china → venues were built specifically for the 2008 summer olympic games → reported deteriorating a few years after the olympics → some had to be renovated to become profitable
Economic impacts of tourism → disadvantages → shortage of services
Tourist infrastructures may require the use of large amounts of land, water and power → shortage of services such as water supplies or power in non-tourist areas
Ex- bali, indonesia → the growing tourism industry is competing against locals for water supply → water is diverted to uses such as golf courses, swimming pools → some villages in bali experience water shortages
Socio-cultural impacts of tourism → advantages → preservation of customs and heritage
Preservation of customs and heritage is the protection of the way people live, including economic activities, traditional beliefs and religious practices
Ex- entry fees to specific sties such as great pyramids of Giza in Egypt or the Angkor wat complex in Siem Reap, Cambodia can be used directly to help fund conservation efforts
Socio-cultural impacts of tourism → Disadvantages → dilution of local customs and heritage
To meet the demands and expectations of tourists local cultural festivals and religious rituals are sometimes modified
Ex- in Thailand → tourists have to pay a hefty fee to enter the village of the Kayan Lahwi women → some tourists treat the women as exhibits that they have paid for → these tourists sometimes aggressively take photographs of the women without permission
Socio-cultural impacts of tourism → Disadvantages -> increased crime
Increase crime → High levels may occur at popular tourist sites → some tourists carry valuable items such as watches, cameras and clothes
Ex- the louvre was forced to close its doors as staff walked out in protest at the increasing problem of pickpockets working in the famous museum
Environmental impacts → Advantages → conservation of natural environments
positive impacts of tourism is the funding it provides to conserve environments such as coral reefs, rainforest and mountainous areas
Ex- in kenya, the survival of animals in the animals in the country’s nature reserves and national parks relies on funding received from international tourists → 1 lion 7 thousand
Environmental impacts → disadvantages → Vandalism
Vandalism is the crime of deliberately damaging property belonging to other people
Ex- Thousands of stones and bricks of the great wall of china which is visited by about 10 million tourists a year are covered in graffiti
Environmental impacts → disadvantages → Littering and pollution
excessive litter form tourists can become a major problem in tourist areas → authorities sometimes fail to implement measures that would properly manage waste left behind by tourists
Ex- irresponsible tourists on cruise ships often dump plastic bottles, food packaging and old batteries overboard form ships → harbours, marinas as well as ocean polluted → caribbean have limited space on land to treat waste from ships → solid and liquid waste are sometimes dumped into the caribbean sea by ships causing pollution
Environmental impacts → disadvantages → Destruction of habitats
Too many tourists visit a destination → they may destroy habitats and wildlife → tourists may trample on plants, collect eggs and feathers of birds as souvenirs
Ex- Egypts red sea coast has developed into a major diving and snorkelling destination → 1.2 million visitors annually → habitats of coral reefs and exotic fish have been damaged by some swimmers collecting shells or corals as souvenirs → hotels and restaurants int he area dumping waste and sewage into the sea
Environmental impacts → disadvantages → carbon footprint
increase in carbon footprint → refers to the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that would be produced by activities that involve the use of fossil fuels
Ex- the carbon footprint of a one-way economy class flight from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is 30 kilogrammes of carbon dioxide per passenger
Environmental impacts → disadvantages → increased congestion
Large numbers of tourists can cause overcrowding in areas close to popular attractions→ tourist shops and accommodations can cluster near near such areas and make them even more congested
Ex- large crowd of tourists at trevi fountain in rome, italy → many older walkways and narrow streets are filled with tourists
