The Negative Impacts of Mass Tourism on the Environment
Mass tourism has, for decades, been seen as an ambiguous term which lacks a definitely agreed definition. (Page, 2014) Numerous scholars have had a growing interest to address the concept of mass tourism from a fresh viewpoint. This lack for an agreeable definition has been due to its multidimensional characteristic which does evoke different meaning to different people. The writings and its theoretical study per se are surprisingly rare, especially those that explain its conceptualization. Cambridge online dictionary defines tourism as the act of providing various services such as transport, accommodation or entertainment for people who are on a vacation. Tourism may also be defined as the total sum of activities, processes, and outcomes that may arise from the interaction and relationship among the domestic nation, host community, tourists, tourism agencies and the surrounding environments that involve themselves in the transport, hosting and managing of tourists and other visitors. (Boissevain, 2014)
Mass tourism involves the visiting of a large number of people to a leisure destination at one given time. The quality of both the natural and manmade environment is essential to tourism. The relationship of tourism and its activities to the environment is quite complex. This is because it involves such activities that can possess negative environmental effects. These effects may be linked with the existing infrastructure and various tourism amenities such as the roads, airports, resorts, shops, boutiques, and marinas. Therefore, tourism’s adverse effects can slowly destroy the environmental resources on which its dependence lie upon. (Bramwell, 2012)
Tourism is a significant factor that contributes to the growth and development of a nation’s economy. It has been directly linked with a country’s economic, cultural and intellectual capabilities in various contexts. However, there may exist environmental externalities due to tourism such as cultural damages and pollution to the local environment. The increase in visitors may lead to increased crime or aggressiveness hence an increase in social tension which may cause the growth of social deviations. This excessive number of visitors due to mass tourism may result in loss of the ability to accommodate excessive use leading to the devastation, degradation and even collapse. (Brown and Hall, 2013) The negative effects may not only have an impact on tourists themselves but also on the local people.
The emergence of alternative tourism has been seen as the main response to the growing negative impacts of mass tourism. Three main responses have been identified. First, there should be better planning and vigilant development within the current conventional model of tourism which will help in ameliorating and avoiding the existing advance effects. Secondly, the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the small private operators should look for alternatives to tourism by merely generating and reinventing new forms of tourism. Third, by rejecting tourism brought about by adopting the ‘anti-tourism stance’ particularly in the developing countries. There exist some influential drivers of the movement to search for alternative forms of tourism. These drivers include recognizing the negative impacts on the environment and social-cultural aspects of the destinations by the conventional tourism, the appearance of developmental ideologies that outline the disadvantages of modernization, development, urbanization, and capitalism and lastly, the consideration of human rights of the local people in managing changes in their communities. (Cooper, 2013)
Alternative Forms of Tourism
Alternative tourism is entirely a rejection of mass tourism and can be grouped as part of the radical movement used in transforming social relations. Ecotourism has been classified under new forms of alternative tourism. It has seen the shifting away of mass tourism hence responsible and sustainable form of tourism. However, its effectiveness has been criticized in terms of its practice specifically due to the complexity that makes it hard to interpret in real situations. The alternative tourism concept incorporates terms and approaches such as pro-poor tourism, fair trade, and ethical tourism, indigenous tourism, geotourism, adventure tourism, and rural tourism. Pro-poor tourism intends to increase opportunities for the poor especially in the developing countries whereby such factors as decision making, economic gain, and other living benefits are put into consideration. The policies in fair trade and ethical tourism try to generate social, economic and cultural benefits to the local communities and help lessen economic leakage. (Page, 2014)
The indigenous tourism involves various NGOs and the local people’s organizations that seek to promote the participation of the native people and their community in controlling and maintaining their resources. Rural tourism or agro-tourism focuses on the native cultural heritage and indigenous services of the farmers in rural places specifically in the developed and developing nations. This form of tourism enhances the involvement of the native people because it is majorly managed and operated by local enterprises. The latest concept of geotourism has enhanced the geographical character of the location being visited which includes its environment, cultural aspects, heritage and the welfare of the residents hence has been seen as an effective solution to the problem of mass tourism. (Hazari and Sgro, 2014)
Alternative tourism has been effective in dealing with the damaging effects on the livelihood of the people who depend on tourism and also on the environment as a whole. (Hazari and Sgro, 2014)This is shown by its aim to solve various problems of mass tourism and support sustainable development. It has incorporated strategies that have seen the elimination of the adverse effects of tourism majorly on the native and cultural resources and also involving local participation. Alternative tourism has seen the emphasis of different elements of the tourism industry such as new kinds of services, modes of traveling, change of old activities and trending management processes. However, since it doesn’t exhibit uniformity and also its nature of not being free of internal competition, it is unlikely that it may never fully accommodate the mass tourism. Therefore, it is important that the various elements of alternative tourism be embraced by the majority of actors and stakeholders for maximum benefits.
Sustainable tourism emerged due to the increasingly adverse effects and impacts of the tourism industry in the local area designations. (McGowan, 2013) Its reactive concept seeks to eliminate the negative effects i.e. the economic, social, cultural and environmental which normally outshines the benefits that tourism brings to the local countries. This form of tourism involves small corporations and entrepreneurs with the sole purpose of conserving of the community and protecting the local culture. Studies have shown that the main dissimilarity between the old and new forms of tourism is its focus of the welfare of the community rather than that of the tourist. (Jules, 2015)Therefore one can conclude that sustainable tourism represents all forms of tourism that enhance compatibility and contribute to justifiable development.
The Effectiveness of Alternative Tourism in Dealing with Negative Impacts
Sustainable tourism has encountered several challenges from the local industries, governments, native authorities, and even tourists. On the bright side, this form of sustainable tourism has been well proven in the tourism market where the only task in hand is to enhance its marketing and advertisement in order to involve a large number of persons. In order for it to be an effective solution in addressing the problems created by mass tourism, significant steps should be undertaken in the direction of education. Education can surpass local governments, authorities, scholars, and entrepreneurs hence changing the attitudes of those persons who might be obstacles in the future creation and development of sustainable tourism. (Jules, 2015)
A good investment climate is incorporated by principles that promote a simple, just and transparent taxation. (Church, 2015) An underpinned sound tax regime plays a significant role in the growth and development of government’s strategy yet in many countries, these tax systems have been branded by exemption methods and instruments that produce insufficient revenue and burden many businesses. Though tourism increases a country’s gross domestic product and enables it to grow, it is not costless because it has been considered as an environmental impact industry due to the consequences it produces. While the economic benefits increase high production and rate of employment, a deeper look is needed on its adverse impacts such as ecological degradation and congestion.
When a market demonstrates with negative externalities and external costs, it’s of shared opinion that the government should introduce an explicit taxation. (Dwyer, Forsyth and Dwyer, 2016) Taxes may be levied on tourism enterprises and on the tourism consumers hence correcting the market failures that mainly affect its productive sector. Taxation on the tourists may involve taxes such as transit tax, value-added tax, departure tax, and bed-night tax. This taxation produces high revenues that the local nation spends in developing the sector and incorporating new services for its resident population. The imposition of taxes and setting of charges have some consequences such as changing the behavior of traders and enterprises by affecting prices, expenses, and income in the tourism industry or on its products. (Williams, 2015) This can be instituted so as to punish unsustainable practices such as pollution. A rise of revenue is also a consequence hence using it to mitigate the impact of mass tourism and support actions such as conserving the microsystem and initiation of community projects which enhance great sustainability of the local destination or of the specific product. The collection of eco-tax or green tax has been effective in addressing the problems of mass tourism as the tax has been spent in the designation state to counter the environmental damages the specific area faces hence diminishing the adverse effects brought about by tourism. (Dwyer, Forsyth and Dwyer, 2016)
Conclusion
Tourism is one of the vital socioeconomic and cultural defined phenomena. It, on one hand, forms a positive impact on cultural identity as well as bonds of social aspects of a people but on the other hand, may cause certain qualitative and social degradation to an area. This may lead to adverse effects on biological and economic diversity. Local authorities should, therefore, seek ways to maintain sustainable tourism hence eliminating negative effects and promoting positive ones.
References
Boissevain, J. (2014). Coping with tourists. Providence, RI: Berghahn Books, pp.17-34.
Bramwell, B. (2012). Coastal Mass Tourism. Clevedon: Channel View Publications, pp.10-17.
Brown, F. and Hall, D. (2013). Tourism in peripheral areas. Buffalo, NY: Channel View Publications, pp.10-13.
Church, A. (2015). Natural resource taxation policies. Canberra: Centre for Research on Federal Financial Relations, Australian National University, pp.12-21.
Cooper, C. (2013). Classic reviews in tourism. Clevedon: Channel View Publications, pp.2-13.
Dwyer, L., Forsyth, P. and Dwyer, W. (2016). Tourism economics and policy. Bristol, UK:Channel View Publications, pp.12-34.
Hazari, B. and Sgro, P. (2014). Tourism, trade and national welfare. Amsterdam: Elsevier, pp.1-7.
Jules, S. (2015). Sustainable tourism in St. Lucia. Winnipeg, Man.: International Institute for Sustainable Development, pp.9-21.
McGowan, M. (2013). Housing, financial and capital taxation policies to ensure robust growth in Sweden. Paris: OECD, Economics Dep, pp.9-14.
Mowforth, M. and Munt, I. (2016). Tourism and sustainability. New York, NY: Routledge, pp.13-23.
Page, S. (2014). Tourism Management. Florence: Taylor and Francis, pp.65-68.
Williams, S. (2015). New directions and alternative tourism. London: Routledge, pp.27-37.
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