Tourism and its contribution to the economy
In the developing countries, the number of the international visitors have exceeded to a whopping 1 billion per year and the tourism sector is deemed to be one of the fastest growing sectors in the present world scenario. The tourism and the travel industry contribute almost about 10 percent to the world’s GDP and this sector is linked with 1 in every 11 jobs. The present trends show that the developing nations are receiving more number of tourists than the developed nations (worldbank.org 2018). However, researches have shown that in several developing nations or the so-called poor nations have failed miserably to deliver the economic gains. The tourism sector is praised because it provides a sustainable source of income for the developing nations that have beautiful environments. The highlighting issues are that the even though tourism is beneficial for the developing nations, the developing nations are not able to create better infrastructure like clean water, roads and amenities. According to the report of an NGO called the Worldwatch Institute, the tourism sector is a source of the foreign for the world’s 40 poorest nations. It has also been found that the tourism sector directly harms the environment and is a major contributor to the global carbon emissions (SciDev.Net 2018). This study will be based on the tourism in the developing world is unsustainable and the various environmental concerns.
Several governments in the developing nations have perceived tourism as one that can stimulate the growth of the economy. This is the sole reason that the governments of the developing nations have concentrated more on the tourism sector and how it impacts on the economy instead of the other wider issues. When researched it has been seen that the contribution of the tourism sector on the economy of the developing nations is huge and this sector alone has contributed to the issues like regional inequalities, social problems, environmental problems and stimulates economic issues. Thus, such issues have doubts regarding tourism and are questioned whether tourism is actually a reliable strategy for developing a poor nation (Sharpley and Telfer 2015).
Reason why tourism is unsustainable
Even though there are lot many organizations that spread the rumours that enterprises are now claiming to be green and responsible. The vital fact is that the current systems that are the present world are not at all sustainable. The model that was previously used to develop consumer goods, cars and houses were used in the tourism sector as well. It has been claimed by the UN World Tourism Organization that the tourism acts as a stimulant for the world economy as well as the economy of the developing nations. The tourism sector generates about 2.1 trillion dollars. It has been seen that the tourism sector is the certain country is the only source of foreign exchange, cash and employment. By the next 17 years there will be more than 1.8 billion travellers in this sector, but still, there is a lack of awareness that tourism is built upon the natural resources that have limited and finite supplies (Peeters 2012).
Tourism sector in the developing world
The media industry makes a lot of money out of the advertisements of the different tourist destinations around the world. However, the issue is that the regulators, consumers and the providers are so much engrossed of the cheap travel options to the tourist destinations that they are neglecting the aspects of the damage to the environment. There are reasons why the tourism sector is actually not beneficial in the long run and they are as follows:
- Mass tourism is entirely based on the consumption, distribution and assembly of the packaged products and as a result one product can be substituted for another product. The prospect of commodification has led to the cost-cutting strategies being employed in the automation, standardisation, homogenisation and this is further putting pressure on the environment. The tourists rather than the enjoying the natural scenic beauty are more engrossed with other artificial aspects of tourism (Ghimire 2013).
- In the majority of the youthful places of tourism, the provisions of zero regulation and low barriers to entry have led to the growth in speculation. The foreign developers and the local politicians benefit most from the growth in the tourism sector while they rarely stay long and counter the various issues that arise due to the volatile demand and overcapacity (Ghimire 2013).
- The tourism is in itself is a perishable product and it can be considered to be a time-based service that does not have the potential to be stocked. Thus, when the demand goes down and capacity goes up, then the discounts on the price is the most obvious choice.
- The price comparison engines and the technological connectivity have transferred he purchasing power entirely to the customers. This convinces the customers to pursue more for the discounted travel plans and this has become a right for the customers and less of a privilege. This particular action of the tourists has increased downward pressure on the yields and the prices (Hudson and Thal 2013).
- The residents that reside in the tourism hotspots welcome the initial influx of the tourists. However, they found that they are experiencing issues with the daily costs of living and they are not cheap. The tourists visiting a place can significantly increase the infrastructure, housing water, food and land prices at a much faster rate. Thus, more tourism turns out to be less beneficial for the communities that are hosting (Muganda, Sirima and Ezra 2013).
- When the tourism sector of a country faces problems, then the tourism community breaks apart and issues related to water scarcity, carbon and waste.
Developing the tourism sector have a negative impact on the environment as it puts pressure on the natural resources in the areas where there is already a scarcity.
- Water resources- freshwater resources are one of the most critical natural resources and it has been found that the tourism industry generally overuses water resources for personal purposes, golf courses, swimming pools and the swimming pools. Such activists promote the degradation and the shortages in water supply and this, in turn, generates a large amount of wastewater (Gössling et al. 2012).
- Local resources- the tourism industry puts a lot of pressure on the local resources like the raw materials, food, energy and the other local resources that are already experiencing shortages in the supply. The more the natural resources are extracted and transported from one place to another the more the environment gets negatively impacted. The seasonal character of this industry has led to the conclusion of the fact that a destination receives a larger number of inhabitants during a high season, while during the low season the demand for the destination reduces. The high influx of the tourist into a specific destination puts pressure on the natural resources of the place so that the expectation of the tourists can be met (Dr?gul?nescu and Dru?u 2012).
- Land degradation- the vital land resources of tourist destination will include the wildlife, wetland, forests, fertile soil, fossil fuel, minerals. Increased number of construction activities in the tourist destination exerts pressure on the natural resources and also on the scenic beauty. Be it the non-renewable and the renewable resources, tourism sector directly impacts the natural resources and this is done to facilitate the needs of tourists. The various accommodation provisions that a tourist requires are the usage of the building materials and the infrastructure provisions (Wang and Liu 2013).
- Noise and air pollution- the transport by the rail, road and air will rise with the influx of the more number of tourists and this will lead to increased emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The usage of the road especially will increase the emission and it has a direct link with the photochemical pollution, global warming and acid rain and severe forms of air pollution. Noise pollution will also increase due to the increased usage of the buses, cars and aeroplane. The usage of the recreational vehicles like the jet skis, snowmobiles contributes to the already polluted atmosphere (Sajjad, Noreen and Zaman 2014).
- Solid waste and littering- in the places that have a high concentration of tourist activities will at the same time accumulate large amounts of wastes that will bring forth the issue of waste disposal. The wastes generated also move to contaminate the nearby areas like the roadsides, scenic areas, rivers and the natural environment. Especially in the mountain areas, the tourist that come to trek produces a larger amount of waste. The expeditions that are taken up by the tourists lead to a great deal of waste generation in the form of abandoned camping equipment, oxygen cylinders, and garbage (Mendes et al. 2013).
- Sewage- the quantity of the sewage pollution increases due to the construction of the reactional places, hotels and the other facilities (Kawai and Tasaki 2016).
- Aesthetic pollution- the lack of the proper land use planning has led to the developments along the scenic routes, valleys, coastlines (Chen and Bau 2016).
Tourism can be made a sustainable one by adopting certain measures. However, within a world that has increased the number of consumer demands and they are fulfilled by utilizing the resources present in the natural resources. Thus, a sustainable use of the natural resources is all that is required.
- Governments- the government are the major players that control a country’s economy. Thus, a government is foster the growth among by promoting the sustainable development strategies. The policies undertaken by the governments must focus on the parameters of sustainable development. Development of the tourism sector requires an integrated planning and must take into account the environment (The Conversation 2018).
- Consumers- the consumer can be more responsible towards their travel choices.
- Local communities- when the government is formulating a vital policy, then the local communities can be taken into participation so that they can accrue the benefits. The local communities are the major stakeholders and they must be involved in the decision making process (The Conversation 2018).
- Non- governmental organizations (NGOs)- the non-governmental organizations are the only that report on the abuses that occur in the tourism sector and this includes the corruption, community opposition, abuse of the human rights, land grabs, and abuse of tourism.
- Tourism industry- the tourism industry can take larger responsibility while submitting the regulations, local tax regimes so that the communities can thrive properly. The tourism can also educate the clients so that they can receive responsible tourism (The Conversation 2018).
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that the tourism and the travel industry contribute almost about ten percent to the world’s GDP and this sector is linked with one in every eleven jobs. The present trends show that the developing nations are receiving more number of tourists than the developed nations. The tourism sector is praised because it provides a sustainable source of income for the developing nations that have beautiful environments. The highlighting issues are that the even though tourism is beneficial for the developing nations, the developing nations are not able to create better infrastructure like clean water, roads and amenities. The sustainable tourism is found to be the best way to counter the environmental issue and this will include the active participation of the governments, consumers, local communities, non- governmental organizations, the tourism industry.
References
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