Tourism KQ3 Flashcards
Describe the economic impact of employment opportunities of tourism in a country.
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. Jobs directly linked to the tourism industry include travel agents, tour guides, hotel staff, waiters and waitresses while jobs indirectly linked to the tourism industry include taxi drivers and shop owners. For example, in 2011, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) estimated that the tourism industry employed over 235 million people in the world (6-8% of all jobs in the world)
Describe the economic impact of growth income of tourism in a country.
Growth in tourism can lead to a growth in income for individuals and for a country. Locals can supplement their normal income from tourism related jobs. Tour companies will also experience an increase in revenue due to the influx of tourists. This will lead to n increase in revenue for the country through the taxes collected by the government. For example, on Pamilacan Island in the Philippines, local fishermen can earn between US$80-US$100 by taking tourists to look for and swim with whale sharks and dolphins.
Describe the economic impact of infrastructure development needed for large scale tourism in a country.
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 also encourage economic growth. For 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 tourists even after the games.
Describe the economic impact of seasonal unemployment of tourism in a country.
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 decrease their income, which in turn affects the economy of that country. For 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.
Describe the economic impact of the underuse of facilities of tourism in a country.
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 tourists used to maintain the facility will decrease and the facilities will become neglected. Governments will have to spend public money to upkeep the facilities. For example, some of the venues built for the Olympic Games in Beijing, China were reportedly deteriorating a few years after the Olympics and some had to be renovated by the government for other uses.
Describe the economic impact of the shortage of services of tourism in a country.
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-tourist areas. Which in turn can lead to conflicts between the local people and tourists. For 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 tourists who can pay more for these services than locals.
Describe the socio-cultural impact of the preservation of culture and local customs in a country.
Historical and cultural sites within a country may be preserved and restored to make the place more attractive to tourists. The restored sites also benefit the local population as they enhance their sense of history and build a sense of belonging to their community. The historical Christ Church in Malacca has been restored an is now a monument of Malacca’s colonial past as well as a tourist attraction.
Describe the socio-cultural impact of the dilution of cultural and local customs in a country.
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 festivals and religious rituals are modified to fit the schedules of tourists, thus reducing the authenticity and significance of these cultural events. For example, restaurants and souvenir shops catered to tourists 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.
Describe the socio-cultural impact of the increased crime by tourism in a country.
Tourists often travel with valuable items such as watches and cameras 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. For example, the Louvre, which is a famous art museum in Paris, attracting tourists from around the world, was forced to close in April of 2013 as the staff walked out in protest of the increasing problem of pickpockets preying on tourists. The staff were demanding that more police were to be made available.
Describe the environmental impact of the conservation of natural environments by tourism in a country.
Many natural areas may be conserved as tourists visit due to the natural scenic beauty. Without tourism, many of these places might have been destroyed to extract natural resources through processes such as forestry and mining. A positive impact of tourism is that it provides funding to help naturally conserved environments through the collection of entrance fees as well as levies on nearby accommodations. For 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.
Describe the environmental impact of the increased congestion by tourism in a country.
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. For example, in Rome, Italy, the older walkways and narrow streets cannot cope with the large number of tourists visiting this historic city and are often very congested. Leading to traffic jams and increased air pollution due to the many tour buses in the area.
Describe the environmental impact of the vandalism by tourism in a country.
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 on fragile vegetation. Developers who build in tourist areas without proper authorisation may also cause damage to sensitive natural areas, such as the smothering of coral reefs due to coastal developments. For example, every year, 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.
Describe the environmental impact of pollution and littering by tourism in a country.
Increased numbers of people lead to the generation of additional waste. measures to manage waste left by tourists 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. For 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 waste may be dumped overboard by the ships, damaging or destroying marine ecosystems such as coral reefs.
Describe the environmental impact of the destruction of habitats by tourism in a country.
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. For 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.
Describe the environmental impact of the increased carbon footprint by tourism in a country.
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. For example, each passenger flying between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur causes the emission of 30 Kg of CO2.
