Tourism can bring many economic and social benefits,
particularly in rural areas and developing countries, but mass tourism is also
associated with negative effects. Tourism can only be sustainable if it is
carefully managed so that potential negative effects on the host community and
the environment are not permitted to outweigh the financial benefits.
Economic Effects -- Positive
Tourism creates jobs, both through direct employment
within the tourism industry and indirectly in sectors such as retail and transportation.
When these people spend their wages on goods and services, it leads to what is
known as the "multiplier effect," creating more jobs. The tourism
industry also provides opportunities for small-scale business enterprises,
which is especially important in rural communities, and generates extra tax
revenues, such as airport and hotel taxes, which can be used for schools,
housing and hospitals.
Economic Effects -- Negative
Successful tourism relies on establishing a basic
infrastructure, such as roads, visitor centers and hotels. The cost of this
usually falls on the government, so it has to come out of tax revenues. Jobs
created by tourism are often seasonal and poorly paid, yet tourism can push up
local property prices and the cost of goods and services. Money generated by
tourism does not always benefit the local community, as some of it leaks out to
huge international companies, such as hotel chains. Destinations dependent on
tourism can be adversely affected by events such as terrorism, natural
disasters and economic recession.
Social Effects -- Positive
The improvements to infrastructure and new leisure
amenities that result from tourism also benefit the local community. Tourism
encourages the preservation of traditional customs, handicrafts and festivals
that might otherwise have been allowed to wane, and it creates civic pride.
Interchanges between hosts and guests create a better cultural understanding
and can also help raise global awareness of issues such as poverty and human
rights abuses.
Social Effects -- Negative
Visitor behavior can have a detrimental effect on the
quality of life of the host community. For example, crowding and congestion,
drugs and alcohol problems, prostitution and increased crime levels can occur.
Tourism can even infringe on human rights, with locals being displaced from
their land to make way for new hotels or barred from beaches. Interaction with
tourists can also lead to an erosion of traditional cultures and values.
Environmental Effects -- Positive
Tourism -- particularly nature and ecotourism -- helps
promote conservation of wildlife and natural resources such as rain forests, as
these are now regarded as tourism assets. It also helps generate funding for
maintaining animal preserves and marine parks through entrance charges and
guide fees. By creating alternative sources of employment, tourism reduces
problems such as over-fishing and deforestation in developing nations.
Environmental Effects -- Negative
Tourism poses a threat to a region's natural and cultural
resources, such as water supply, beaches, coral reefs and heritage sites,
through overuse. It also causes increased pollution through traffic emissions,
littering, increased sewage production and noise.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Based in Scarborough, U.K., Carole Simm started writing
in 1998. She has authored training programs, marketing materials and website
content. Simm also blogs for SuperGreenMe and Eventim. She studied publishing
at Napier College, Edinburgh, and has a first-class Bachelor of Arts in tourism
management from the University of Hull.
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