tourism gw 3

Question 1

describe employment opportunities?

Answer 1

• hotels, transportation, souvenir shops and tour agencies, travel agents, tour guides
• 2011 –> UNWTO estimated that the tourism industry employed over 235 million people worldwide –> 6-8% of all the jobs in the world

Question 2

describe grwoth in income?

Answer 2

• income growth for individuals and a country
• i.e. fishermen on pamilacan island in the philippines
• local tour comapnies hire fishermen to take domestic and international tourists on their boats to look for and swim with whale sharks and dolphins
• fishermen are paid US $80 to US $100 per boat
• tour companies also experience increase in revenue
• overall increase in revenue for the country through taxes collected

Question 3

describe development in infrastructure and facilities?

Answer 3

• roads, airports, electricity and hotels

- i.e. olympic games venues etc

Question 4

describe seasonal unemployment?

Answer 4

• certain tourists activities depned on climatic conditons (i.e. ski resorts)
• countries may experience a rise in tourist number for several months followed by a drop for the next few months
• people in certain tourism-related jobs have to find other sources of income when unemployment in the tourism industry is temporarily unavailable

Question 5

give an example of seasonal unemployment

Answer 5

• i.e. sapporo, japan
• large number of visitors from december to february for skiing and snowboarding –> mountain ski resort operators will need to employ more people during winter to cater to the high tourist demand

Question 6

describe under-use facilities at certain times of the year?

Answer 6

• seasonal tourism
• facilities built specifically for certain events are under-used
• facilities can be costly to maintain
• some of these facilities may become neglected

Question 7

give an example of under- use of facilities?

Answer 7

• i.e. beijing, china
• venues built for 2008 summer olympics were detoriorating a few years after the olympics
• facilites had to be renovated to become more profitable

Question 8

describe shortage of services?

Answer 8

• tourist infrastructure may require the use of large amunts of land, water and power
• shrotage of services such as water supply or power in non-tourist areas

Question 9

describe preservation of local customs and heritage?

Answer 9

• protection of the way people live
• restored and preserved historical and cultural sites make a place more attractive to tourists
• restored sites benefit the local population by enhancing their sense of history
• built a sense of belonging
• revenue generated from tourism can also find the preservation and restoration of cultural heritage

Question 10

describe dilution of local customs and heritage?

Answer 10

• identity, culture and values of a place can be lost when tourism becomes the major acitivity of the area
• commerical acitivites that cater mainly to tourists such as food outlets, travel agencies, souvenir shops and can become the major commerical activity of an area
• may force locals to relocate their original activites to other places
• identity of a place may be lost
• local cultural festivals and religious rituals are sometimes modified to meet the demands and expectations of tourists
• authenticity and significance of these cultural events may be reduced when they become commercialised

Question 11

describe increased crime?

Answer 11

• high crime levels may occur at popular tourist sites
• some tourists carry valuable items (cameras. watches)
• vulnerable to muggins near hotels, transport terminals, atms and tourist attractions
• tourists are prone to being cheated or scammed to many tourists areas –> information, goods or servicesare sold at greatly inflated prices

Question 12

explain conservation of natural environments?

Answer 12

• funding it provides to help conserve environments such as coral reefs. rainforests and mountainous areas
• revenue from entrance fees to national parks can be used to help protect and conserve these environments

Question 13

give an example of conservation of natural environments?

Answer 13

• i.e. sepilok orangutan rehabilitation centre in sabah, malaysia
• partly relies on entrance fees to pay its staff
• staff help rehabilitate orangutans that have been orphaned or injured

Question 14

describe vandalism?

Answer 14

• cultural, historical or natural sites may be vandalised by individuals or developers

Question 15

give an example of vandalism?

Answer 15

• i.e. great wall of china

- visited by about 10 million tourists a year –> covered in graffiti

Question 16

describe littering and pollution?

Answer 16

• excessive litter from tourists can become a major problem in tourists areas
• authorities sometimes fail to implement measures that would properly manage waste left behind by tourists

Question 17

describe destruction of habitats?

Answer 17

• sandy beaches and scenic villages –> overwhelmed with visitors during busy times of the year
• too many tourists visit destination –> may destroy habitats and wildlife

Question 18

describe carbon footprint?

Answer 18

• transportation –> increased carbon footprint

- i.e. economy class flight from singapore to kuala lumpur, malasia is 30kg of CO2 per passenger

Question 19

describe increased congestion?

Answer 19

• large numbers of tourists can cause overcrowding in areas close to popular attractions

Question 20

what is conservation of fragile environments and promoting sustainable tourism?

Answer 20

• careful management and use of resources so that resources will not be depleted
• important for fragile environments
• i.e. mangroves and coral reefs
• easily disturbed by dumping of waste from tourist facilities
• easily disturbed by removal of vegetation to build infrastructure
• conservation of fragile environmens and promoting sustainable tourism –> made possible with the help of laws and regulations, and support from local people

Question 21

give an example of conservation of fragile environments?

Answer 21

• i.e. australia, great barrier reef
• world’s longest complex of coral reefs and small islands
• on UNESCO’s world heritage list

Question 22

explain sustainable tourism?

Answer 22

• involves minimising leakages from tourist revenues
• strategies used include:
• training locals to perform skilled tourism jobs (managing and 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
• a well protected environment attracts both new and returning tourists
• will benefit locals economically
• income from tourism motivates locals to care properly for tourism sites

Question 23

describe tensions between tourists and locals?

Answer 23

• can arise when the needs of tourists conflict with the needs of locals
• i.e. some tourists want to wear skimpy clothing on hot days but tourists in a conservative country may be uncomfortable

Question 24

give an example of tensions between tourists and locals?

Answer 24

• i.e. bali, indonesia
• visited by many tourists for its natural landscape such as mountains and rainforests –> food
• renowned for its Hindu temples, art, dance and other heritage and customs
• in 2012, Indonesia’s central statistics agency recorded 2.9 mil international tourist arrivals to bali, but its resident population is only 4.2 mil –> large inflow of tourists has cause some tensions:
• tourists sites like Kuta are often congested due to busloads of ever-increasing foreign tourists
• large number of hotles, resorts, convention centres and other facilities potentially deprive some locals of their water supply
• locals expect tourists to respect local customes which tourists sometimes fail to do

Question 25

describe tensions between tourists and the environment?

Answer 25

• tensions can arise when needs of tourists conflict with ht need to conserve environment
• some natural attractions may be dependent on tourist income for their conservation, but tourist inflow may contribute to the damage of the attraction itself

Question 26

give an example of tensions between tourists and the environment?

Answer 26

• i.e. machu picchu, peru
• physically able tourists opt to us eht ‘inca trail’ for its stunning mountain scenery, cloud forest, rivers as well as serval inca ruins –> originally built by the incas, the trail is also populated with rare indigenious plant and wildlife that is slwoly being eroded by more than 75 000 tourists that hike on it every year

Question 27

what are some of the measures for managing these tensions?

Answer 27

• limiting the number of visitors at a site to minmise congestion and degradation
• withholding permission to proceed with tourism-related projects that could harm the environment
• employing staff to maintain and repair a site and prevent tourists from tampering with it
• holding discussions with local regarding theri needs and concerns
• restricting tourists from some areas where only locals can enter

Question 28

describe local communities?

Answer 28

• community based tourism –> tourism that has close contact with, and mainly benefits local communtiies
• may be done in partnership with government or ngo

Question 29

give an example of local communities?

Answer 29

• i.e. candirejo village, near borobudur in central java, indonesia
• with support from govt, villagers set up a cooperative in 2003 to manage and implement community’s tourism related programmes
• villagers also participated in decision-making through discussions and consultations with the cooperative about the programme to be cariied out (including homestay accommodations, developing organic farms and organising local transport)
• by 2004, village had 22 homestays, 22 andongs (local transport of horse-drawn carts) and 6 local restaurants
• 63 new jobs and 5 new businesses
• 12.5% increase in average income per villager from 2001-2003

Question 30

describe visitors?

Answer 30

• responsibility to respect both the environment and local population
• should visit without causing damage or offence

Question 31

give an example of visitors?

Answer 31

• i.e. in 2007 –> tourism sustainability group (set up european comission in 2004) encourage tourists to select their holiday destinations based on the conservation efforts of the place
• so that tourists would minimise carbon footprint
• consider factors such as amount of water used etc.

Question 32

describe tour operators?

Answer 32

• may belong to associations that are increasingly concerned with conserving and protecting environments visited by tourists
• because fewer tourists are likely to visit a place if the unspoilt landscapes, rich biodiversity and unique cultures deteriate

Question 33

give an example of tour operators?

Answer 33

• i.e. phuket alternative tours PAT< set up in 2006
• tour operators who want to oeprate PAT are required to sign an environmental and cultural code of practice which commits members to operate under a few guidelines:
• operate in an environmentally sustainable way
• seek to enhance the natural environment and the way that the industry uses it
• create awareness about the environmental conservation for visitors to phuket

Question 34

describe planning authorities?

Answer 34

• can greatly influence the future quality of environments by determining how mnay visitors a site can cope with and allocating space for infrastructure
• planning authority is the most important group in ensuring that tourist areas are protected
• planning authority should consider local sensitivities in the area while maintaining its physical and socio-cultural conditions
• planning authorities should be the first to enforce rules and regulations for sustainable tourism in consultation with the industry and community

Question 35

give an example of planning authorities?

Answer 35

• i.e. STB
• ensures that while attracting large numbers of tourists, development plans also take into accounrd the need to conserve national heritage

Question 36

give an example of ngos?

Answer 36

• i.e. the international ecotourism society (TIES) has developed guidelines, conducted training courses, provided technical assistance and published research papers related to tourism and the environment
• also works with numerous organisations, including travel associations and conservation groups in 124 countries