Post on 13-Apr-2017
ELECTIVE GEOGRAPHYOUR CHANGING WORLD
GLOBAL TOURISMIS TOURISM THE WAY TO GO?
GATEWAY 3DEVELOPING TOURISM AT WHAT COST?
• Assess the impact of tourism on a country• Explain how tourism can be made
sustainable• Compare the role of various groups in
taking care of tourist areas
IMPACTS OF TOURISMImpacts Economic Socio-cultural Environmental
POSITIVE • Employment opportunities
• Growth in income• Increase in foreign
exchange• Infrastructure &
facilities development
• Preservation of heritage, culture & local customs
• Conservation of natural habitats
NEGATIVE • Leakage of tourism receipts
• Seasonal unemployment
• Under-use of facilities
• Shortage of facilities
• Dilution of heritage, culture & local customs
• Increased crime
• Vandalism• Littering &
pollution• Destruction of
habitat• Increased
carbon footprint• Increased
congestion
IMPACTS OF TOURISM - ECONOMIC• Employment opportunities
• Growth in tourism industry can lead to increase in in tourism-related jobs
• Eg: airline staff, hotel staff, tour guides and tour agents, producers of souvenirs
IMPACTS OF TOURISM - ECONOMIC
• Other jobs are indirectly linked to tourism when they travel and consume goods & services
• Eg: taxi drivers, shop owners, restaurant waiters
• UNWTO estimated that tourism industry employed over 235 million people in 2011
IMPACTS OF TOURISM - ECONOMIC• Growth in income
• Tourism leads to growth of income for individuals and a country
• Eg: fishermen on Pamilacan Island (Philippines)
• US$80 - $100 for boat trips to see whale sharks and dolphins
IMPACTS OF TOURISM - ECONOMIC• Leakage of tourism receipts
• When tourism revenue is lost to other countries due to import of goods & services
• Eg: foreign hotel chains, international airline tickets
• See pg 57, fig 1.70
IMPACTS OF TOURISM - ECONOMIC• Increase in foreign exchange
• Refers to money earned from other countries in exchange for goods & services
• When tourism business investments exchange their own currency for Singapore dollars
• Increases demand for S$
IMPACTS OF TOURISM - ECONOMIC
• Contribute to government revenue
• Directly from taxes on tourists• Indirectly from goods & services
supplied to tourists• Taxes are collected in local
currency, which increases the foreign exchange of host country
IMPACTS OF TOURISM - ECONOMIC• Infrastructure development
• Refers to all supporting structures• Helps tourism to operate on a
large scale and to attract tourists (good facilities)
• Specific infrastructures may be developed for some activities
IMPACTS OF TOURISM - ECONOMIC
• Eg: stadium for sporting events, hospitals for medical tourism
• Rail and road networks improve general accessibility
• Developing infrastructure also creates employment for the locals
IMPACTS OF TOURISM - ECONOMIC• Seasonal unemployment
• When tourist activities are dependent on climatic conditions
• Locals employed in these tourist activities may have to find alternative employment when the activities are not available
• Eg: ski resorts in summer
IMPACTS OF TOURISM - ECONOMIC• Underuse of facilities
• When purpose-built facilities for certain seasons or events become too costly to maintain because of drop in tourists
• Venues and facilities become neglected
• Eg: Bird Nest and Water Cube
IMPACTS OF TOURISM - ECONOMIC• Shortage of services
• Compromise of services for locals when channeled to tourist infrastructure
• Refer to examples in pg 61, fig 1.78
PITSTOP 11Pg 61Questions• 3• 4 (a), (b), (c)• 5
IMPACTS OF TOURISM – SOCIO-CULTURAL
• Culture – includes morals, beliefs, heritage and customs
• Heritage – beliefs, values and customs
• Eg: buildings, monuments, art and language
IMPACTS OF TOURISM – SOCIO-CULTURAL
• Customs – traditional ways of doings things and behaving
• Eg: person-to-person greeting, practices during wedding ceremonies, practices during meals
IMPACTS OF TOURISM – SOCIO-CULTURAL• Preservation of local culture
• Protect the way people live• Preserved historic and cultural
sites are more attractive to tourists• Enhances locals’ national identity,
and sense of history & belonging
IMPACTS OF TOURISM – SOCIO-CULTURAL
• Revenue generated from tourism can be used to fund the preservation and restoration of cultural heritage
• Eg: entry fees to Angkor Wat complex can fund repairs and conservation works
IMPACTS OF TOURISM – SOCIO-CULTURAL• Dilution of local culture
• Identity, culture and values can be lost when tourism becomes a major activity or when it is too commercialised
• Tourist activities may force original local inhabitants to other places
IMPACTS OF TOURISM – SOCIO-CULTURAL• Examples:
• Buildings converted to host tourists
• Mass production of local crafts• Shortened rituals to fit itineraries• Locals displayed as ‘exhibits’• Reduced authenticity &
significance
IMPACTS OF TOURISM – SOCIO-CULTURAL• Increased crime rates
• High crime rates tend to occur at popular tourist locations
• Mugging: an assault upon a person with intention to rob
IMPACTS OF TOURISM – SOCIO-CULTURAL
• Tourist traps:• Overpriced goods: goods &
services sold at inflated prices• Scams: to cheat or swindle with
intention of making quick profits• Tourist traps can refer to
locations where scams are common too
IMPACTS OF TOURISM – ENVIRONMENTAL
• Conservation of natural environments• Revenue and profits generated
from tourism can contribute to conservation of natural environments
• Recall ‘Ecotourism’ and 6 principles
IMPACTS OF TOURISM – ENVIRONMENTAL
• Increased congestion• Popular areas can attract large
number of tourists• Some attractions in remote locations
cannot handle the amount of traffic• Cause pedestrian and vehicular
congestion (air pollution)
IMPACTS OF TOURISM – ENVIRONMENTAL
• Vandalism• The deliberate act of defacing and
damaging cultural, historical and natural sites belonging to other people
• Eg: removing wall pieces from Berlin Wall
IMPACTS OF TOURISM – ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACTS OF TOURISM – ENVIRONMENTAL
• Pollution and littering• Caused by improper waste
management• Tourists can leave behind large
quantities of waste matter• Eg: plastic bottles and food
packaging
IMPACTS OF TOURISM – ENVIRONMENTAL
• Destruction of habitats• Natural environments can be
overwhelmed by the large number of tourists
• Eg: Trampling of plants, collecting samples as souvenirs, increased noise level
IMPACTS OF TOURISM – ENVIRONMENTAL
Take nothing except photographsLeave nothing except footprints
IMPACTS OF TOURISM – ENVIRONMENTAL
• Increased carbon footprint• More greenhouse gases emitted
due to tourist activities• Eg: flight from Singapore to KL
releases 30kg of CO2 per passenger
PITSTOP 12Pg 66Questions• 2• 4• 6• 8 (a), (b)
MANAGING IMPACTS OF TOURISM
• Conservation and sustainable tourism
• Tension between tourists and locals
• Tension between tourists and environment
MANAGING IMPACTS OF TOURISM
Needs of tourists
Condition of the site
Concerns of locals
CONSERVATION & SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
• Conservation involves careful management of resources such that they would not be depleted
• Important for fragile environments
• Eg: coral reefs and mangroves
• Sustainable Tourism• Tourism organised such that:
• the environment is not damaged
• the locals do not experience negative impacts
• the needs of tourists are met
CONSERVATION & SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
• Sustainable Tourism also involves minimum leakage of revenue through• Training locals to perform skilled
tourism jobs• Develop homestays where visitors
can pay locals directly• Promoting local F&B in restaurants
CONSERVATION & SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
• UNESCO – UN Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organisation• Provide funding to threatened sites• World Heritage Sites: 12 (1978) to
1,000 (2012)• Well-protected sites ensure steady
arrival and repeated returns of tourists
CONSERVATION & SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
TENSION BETWEEN TOURISTS AND LOCALS
• Conflict between needs of the tourists and needs of the locals
• Eg: tourists wearing skimpy clothing and public displays of affection make locals uncomfortable
• Eg: Bali (read page 69 & 70!)
TENSION BETWEEN TOURISTS AND ENVIRONMENT
• Conflict between needs of the tourists and needs to conserve the environment
• Tourist arrivals damage the environment, however the revenue also contribute to the conservation of the site
• Eg: Machu Picchu, Peru (read page 70 & 71!)
• Government authorities plan an important role• Limit number of visitors to
minimise congestion (recall Waitomo Caves)
• Witholding permission to projects that could harm the environment
MEASURES TO MANAGE TENSIONS
• Employing staff to carry out maintenance and repair
• Holding discussions with locals to address their needs
• Restricting some locals-only areas
MEASURES TO MANAGE TENSIONS
• Local communities• Visitors• Tour operators• Non-governmental organisations• Planning authorities
RESPONSIBILITIES OF VARIOUS GROUPS
• Group of people in the same territory or community
• Have interests in protecting tourist areas for economic benefits
• Community-based tourism: tourism with close contact with locals communities
LOCAL COMMUNITIES
• Eg: Candirejo Village, Borobudur, Central Java, Indonesia
• 2003: set up tourism-related programmes
• Developed homestays and organic farming, organised local transport
• Trained villagers to tourism-related work (catering, guides)
LOCAL COMMUNITIES
• 2004: 22 homestays, 22 andongs, 6 local restaurants
• 2002: 10 homestays, 5 andongs, 0 local restaurants
• Created 63 new jobs, 5 new businesses
• 12.5% increase in average income per villager
LOCAL COMMUNITIES
• Involves locals in decision-making
• Increase in tourism-related employment & businesses for locals
• Difficulty in obtaining external funding
• Shortage of skilled labour
LOCAL COMMUNITIES
• Have responsibility to respect both the environment and the locals
• Consider the conservation efforts of tourist site
• Visitors can feel their visit is more rewarding when they know they have minimised their damage on the environment
VISITORS (TOURISTS)
• Fund conservation & preservation• Provide income locals• Raise awareness to conserve
and preserve attractions• Damage tourist attractions• Dilute local culture & customs
VISITORS (TOURISTS)
• Have interest in protecting environments visited by tourists
• Tourists unlikely to visit places with spoilt landscapes, reduced biodiversity and deteriorated cultures
• Eg: Phuket Alternative Tours (PAT) in 2006
TOUR OPERATORS
• Tour operators required to commit to an Environmental & Cultural Code of Practice• Operate in an environmentally
sustainable way• Seek to enhance the natural
environment and the way the industry uses it
• Create awareness about conservation to visitors
TOUR OPERATORS
• Provide feedback on tourist attractions
• Regulate tourist behaviour• Need to generate profits
TOUR OPERATORS
• NGOs are non-profit and operate independent of governments
• Eg: TIES (recall Ecotourism)• Developed guidelines, conducted
training, provide technical assistance, published papers
• Works with travel associations and conservation groups in 124 countries
NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORG.
• Facilitate communication between various stakeholders
• Support stakeholders in managing impact of tourism
• Difficulty in obtaining external funding
NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORG.
• Able to influence the quality of environments and how many visitors the site can cope with
• Allocating space for infrastructure• Eg: Singapore Tourism Board• Balance between attracting
visitors and conserving Singapore’s national heritage
PLANNING AUTHORITIES
• Implement programmes to conserve and enhancing ethnic districts of Singapore
• Chinatown, Kampong Glam and Little India
PLANNING AUTHORITIES
• Develop and maintain infrastructure & attractions
• Draft laws and policies• Work with other government
agencies• Difficult to plan for unforseen
factors• Opposing stakeholders
PLANNING AUTHORITIES
CHECKPOINTPg 53
Questions• 2• 6• 10 (Open-ended question)• 12 (Open-ended question)• 13 (a), (b)• 14 (a), (b)
TOURISM IN SINGAPORE• Page 76 to 80• You should be able to:
• Discuss the tourist activities in Singapore• Locate the tourist sites and attracts• Explain how tourism has impacted S’pore• Explain how these impacts are being
managed• Explain why tourism is a vital sector of
Singapore’s economy
END OF CHAPTER