Tourism is a complex activity that involves people traveling to new places for various reasons.
While it can be exciting and enriching, it also has an often-hidden cost to the environment. Let’s take a closer look at how tourism affects the planet.
People travel for many reasons, including recreation, business, cultural exploration, and medical purposes. Whether it’s a vacation, a business trip, or a visit to learn about history, tourism is a diverse and ever-changing industry. It plays a significant role in the global economy and culture.
As we explore the world, it’s essential to consider the environmental consequences of our travels. By understanding the impact of tourism, we can work towards more sustainable and responsible travel practices.
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Benefits Of Tourism
Tourism has a lot of economic benefits such as the creation of employment opportunities, and it has also helped in revenue generation, and this promotes the growth and development of the country.
Tourism aids cultural exchange by spreading awareness, enlightening people on different cultures and promoting cultural understanding.
Due to these positive aspects, people tend to forget that there are definitely dark sides of tourism.
Although tourism often brings environmental and social benefits as well as cultural exchange, it is crucial to acknowledge its “dark side.”
The dark side of tourism is often overlooked, as a matter of fact, most people do not know that there are dark sides to tourism, let alone that the dark side of tourism can cause environmental and social issues.
The Dark Side of Tourism: Environmental Costs of Tourism
The environment as a whole makes up the basis of tourism. However, tourism has costs us our environment. Some of the dark sides of tourism, regarding our environment involves:
Environmental Degradation
Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as air, water and soil, the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife. In other words, it is defined as any change or disturbance to the environment perceived to be delirious, undesirable or unwanted.
The construction of tourist infrastructures such as hotels, resorts, museums, roads, etc. often lead to deforestation, destruction of habitat and soil erosion.
Tourism causes environmental degradation through increased waste generation, which includes plastic pollution, and contamination of natural environments. Additionally, tourism can lead to the overconsumption of resources like water and energy which can lead to strains on the local ecosystem.
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials called pollutants into the environment. These pollutants can be natural, such as volcanic ash, or man-made. This means they are created by human activity such as trash or waste products made by factories.
Pollutants damage the quality of air, water and land.
How Does Tourism Lead to Pollution?
Tourism can be identified as a contributor to air pollution due to the increased carbon footprint from activities such as air travel and vehicle use. These contribute to climate change, leading to rising temperatures, loss of biodiversity, and negative impacts on human health and agriculture.
Tourism also contributes to water pollution through the disposal of untreated sewage and waste, which harms both marine and freshwater ecosystems.
Loss of Biodiversity
Biodiversity loss simply means that there is a reduction in biological diversity in a given area. Biodiversity loss happens when plant or animals’ species disappear completely from the Earth. Or, when there is a decrease or disappearance of species in a specific area. The decrease can be temporary or permanent.
Tourism activities can disrupt wildlife habitats and disturb animal behaviour. Coral reefs and vital ecosystems are also particularly vulnerable to damage from tourism activities.
Excessive tourist numbers can overwhelm fragile ecosystems, leading to damage and degradation. Increased pressure on resources can lead to shortages and environmental stress
Social Costs of Tourism
The dark side of tourism can also lead to social costs. Some of the social costs include:
Cultural Commodification
Cultural commodification refers to the process by which cultural elements, such as traditions, artifacts, and symbols are transformed into marketable goods, often losing their original significance and meaning. This is a social cost resulting from tourism.
Cultural commodification happens because traditional cultures can be exploited and transformed by tourists into commercial products for tourist consumption. Authentic cultural practices may be distorted or lost as they are adapted for tourist entertainment.
As a result, tourism can lead to the dilution of cultural identity, as the unique aspects of a culture are reduced to marketable commodities.
Displacement of Local Communities
Community displacement is the movement of a population out of a neighbourhood as formal or informal redevelopments occur.
Tourism could cause the displacement of local populations, often without adequate compensation. As a result of this, access to traditional resources and livelihoods and even employment may be restricted.
Local people often had to give up their land, livelihood and their meagre access and control over resources for the greater good of the nation, without being consulted first before the planning process begins.
Economic Inequality
Economic inequality is the unequal distribution of income and opportunity between different groups in a society. In other words, economic inequality describes a situation where resources are not evenly distributed, leading to significant disparities in economic well-being.
Tourism profits often benefit large corporations or foreign investors, leaving local communities with minimal economic gains.
Economic inequality also leads to increased cost of living due to tourism can make essentials unaffordable for local residents. This could lead to higher crime rates, poorer public health, increased political inequality and lower average education levels.
Social Disruption
Social disruption refers to the significant disturbance or breakdown in the normal functioning of social systems due to events such as disasters and conflicts, leading to widespread societal impact and harm.
The influx of tourism can lead to social tension and resentment among local communities, increased crime and social problems can accompany tourism development.
Tourism can also lead to change in local social norms, due to the influence of tourist behaviours.
Addressing the Dark Side of Tourism
Tourism may cause a series of environmental and social issues as listed above, but there are ways in which we can address these issues, in order to reduce to impacts of the dark side of tourism. Some of these ways include:
Sustainable Tourism
Sustainable tourism is tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, industry, the environment and host communities.
The dark side of tourism can be reduced by promoting responsible travel practices that minimise environmental and social impacts, supporting local businesses and initiatives that prioritise sustainability.
Using sustainable tourism by encouraging eco-tourism and nature-based tourism that respects ecosystems can help to decrease the downside of tourism
Community Involvement
Community involvement simply means involving local communities in tourism planning and decision-making in order to avoid the displacement of local people.
Ensuring that tourism benefits local economies and supports community development in order to ensure a stable and well-developed environment and society.
Regulation and Management
This involves implementing regulations around tourism in order to protect natural resources and cultural heritage. Managing tourist flows to prevent over tourism and overcrowding can help to reduce the negative impacts of tourism on the environment and the society at large.
Promoting responsible waste management and pollution control can also help to decrease the environmental and social costs which the dark side of tourism may cause.
Education and Awareness
Raising awareness amongst tourists about the environment and social impacts of their actions can help to eradicate the dark side of tourism. Educate tourists about local cultures and traditions to foster respect and understanding and to avoid cultural commodification.
Read more: Eco-Tourism: Supporting Sustainable Travel Practices
