Costs and Benefits

The costs and benefits of tourism

Introduction	A quick history of tourism	The costs and benefits of tourism	The imperatives of sustainable tourism	The principles of sustainable tourism	Sustainable tourism as a means to alleviate poverty	Words of wisdom on tourism	Links

The way mass tourism functions nowadays has four major flaws according to the UNWTO :

The importance of the land's conservation is not taken into account.
Quantitative growth is prefered over the qualitative aspects.
Cultural and social characteristics of destinations are not the motivations of tourists.
Short-term gain is prefered over long-term sustainability.

Hopefully, sustainable tourism is becoming the main guideline in the planning of tourism today.

Here is a chart summarizing the costs and benefits of tourism from a large point of view. It may seem that there are more costs than benefits, I would like to stress that these costs are not systematic, they can occur if the activity of tourism is not controled, they can be avoided.

Costs of tourism

Environmental costs : pollution by airplane, abusive use of ressources such as water in aride locations (conflicts between locals' interests and tourists' interests) , or fishing etc ...

Heavy investments for the country that are not directed to the local population for transportation means (ex : airport), or the treatment of waste and water etc ...

Inflation in the host country when tourists spend a lot or do not bargain in places where it is the usual. Sometimes this is fought by double price standard (one for locals, one for tourists).

Sometimes importations are needed because the country does not priduce the luxury goods the tourists ask for (ex : tourists ask for whisky in the Carribean where rhum is produced)

The money spent by the tourists does not always benefit the country if it is organized by a western travel agency.

Culture choc : tourists go to places where the local population does not even know the concept of vacation;

Development of issues linked to tourism : prostitution (and even sex tourism), begging, deliquency, xenophobia etc ...

Benefits of tourism

Job creation as tourists ask for high quality services :

directly : hosting, animation, transportation, guiding etc ...
indirectly : agriculture, construction etc ...

Takings of foreign currency

Has helped to save cultural traditions like cooking, dances, clothing, crafts etc ...

Tourism can install a virtuous circle : non-democratic countries may open up for the economic benefits of tourism, which will bring people with democratic values, what will then lead the country to open even more, making more economic benefits and bringing in more democratic thoughts etc ...

belaggio

The city of Las Vegas with all its fountains and located in a very aride land. It is sometimes considered an absurdity.

© Fabien Vellement

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