The Negative Effects of Tourism - Research Paper Example

Abstract This study was conducted in part to create awareness on the negative impacts of tourism on the environment. The fact that tourism has so many benefits overshadows its setbacks to our Mother Earth. The study views various laws, initiatives and other forms of regulations that aim to improve or at least hinder these negative impacts to nature. A number of references from drawn from law-making bodies as well as other sources were utilized for this study. The negative impacts on nature of tourism are discussed herein because of its significance not just to the concerned European Union member countries, but to the rest of the world as well. The UK for example has been a leading tourist destination for the past years and this trend never seems to wane. Although much of its natural, cultural sites suffered at first the UK has started various policies regarding the preservation of nature and in doing so, tourists help maintain their tourist spots indirectly. Other EU member country worth noting in terms of tourism is Italy and France which are located conveniently along the coasts of the Mediterranean. These two countries and others have accommodated millions of tourists annually, and some of the repercussions of these enterprises are evident right now. These areas are currently experiencing the drawbacks of past tourism ventures and are now seeking to rehabilitate their tourist spots which are situated near the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean itself is a prime tourist destination, but due to its peculiar characteristics, it been a victim of reckless, abusive tourism. Much of its marine life is suffering the effects of euthropication and unmanaged solid and liquid wastes being dumped to it. When this carelessness continues, the Mediterranean will cease to be and there is a possibility that this unfortunate situation will also occur to other tourist spots. Tourism has not only made it big in Europe but also the rest of the world. It has helped many countries in improving countries and in fact, some countries subsists mostly in tourism. Tourism has improved and enhanced a lot of economies and has experienced a certain “boom” recently in European countries. In today’s modern lifestyle, a vacation is viewed as a necessity rather than a luxury, as many international companies offer tourism packages to their employees as part of their wok benefits. Also, tourism has been more accessible today to the lower economic classes more than ever (Council of Europe, 2004). Tourism and the state of a nation’s environment have a delicate relationship with each other. Sure tourism brings in a lot of revenues from tourists, but without an efficient means of environmental preservation the country’s ecology and natural resources will suffer. The issue as to whether tourism affects the environment positively or negatively is put to debate recently (Kozyr, 2000). An excellent tourism program depends mainly on the soundness of a country’s environment. There are guidelines set upon by the Fifth Programme as to what transport means, water supply, waste management practices etc. are to be taken up to by a tourism delegated area so that damage to the environment would be decreased (European Commission, 2005). Tourism is given special attention by the European Union for its future expansion and worker status. The E.U. has about 8 million people working on various sectors of tourism, a decent 5% of the whole workforce and GDP and an estimated 30% outside service trade. Cumulatively, if the transport and trade sectors are taken in consideration, tourism accounts for about 12% of GDP. The Tourism Unit of Directorate General Enterprise stresses the significance of tourism in Europe’s economic success and it aims at tourist satisfaction, employee status, care for the environment and many more. The unit works closely with an Advisory Committee made up of representatives from the various Member States and other associations such as the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. The Unit also has links to other tourism industry groups internationally to settle issues on tourism and other matters (European Commission, 2002). Tourism in Europe has been largely governed by tourism small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), comprising about 99% of all Europe’s tourism industry. Most of these companies have about more or less than 250 employees at a time. 1997 statistics show that most of SMEs in Europe are involved in tourism (7.42%) and that most (94.2%) have only 10 employees working at any one time. Not only does tourism contribute to Europe’s economy, but also improves its social well-being (European Commission, 2002). The pros of tourism is that it bring significant revenue to a country, provides employment opportunities, improves cross cultural relationships with the tourists and the host. The cons however are very alarming, since it seems that tourism endangers its own existence. These negative factors include: traffic, abuse of natural resources, rash tourist behaviour, increased volume of garbage etc (Council of Europe, 2004). With prosperity coming from tourism comes several negative environmental and social impacts. Some tourist areas are developed so fast that erosion and too much urbanization have become problems. Some areas lose their appeal due to over-development, a fact that turns-off some tourists to come to that area. Measures should be done to maintain a tourist spot’s appeal to avoid this kind of dilemma (European Union for Coastal Conservation, 1999). Tourism remains to be one of the fast-growing industries in the world, and in South Europe for example this growth in tourism is particularly beneficial (European Union for Coastal Conservation, 1999). In 1999, the E.U. was responsible for 43% of arrivals and 40% of the total share in international tourism. The year 2000 saw the E.U. as the leading tourist spot in the world. This shows that the E.U. remains its top spot in world tourism and it shows no signs of slowing down (European Commission, 2002). Almost 8 million are employed in Europe’s tourism industry and this is very significant figure. Tourism also has other effects in tourism related industries. The European tourism industry is also seen to grow, employing 2 million more employees in the coming 10 years (European Commission, 2002). 2000 was said to be Europe’s single biggest economic gain in tourism and it recently counts for about 5.5% of its GNP, according to Dobris Assessment (European Commission, 2005). Since 1993, the top destinations were France, Spain, Italy and the UK with Greece and Eastern Europe following close due to lower prices. Tourist trend from these areas reveal that tourist tend to avoid environmentally unsound areas and that air travel and car rental are popular transport choices. The factors behind these trends are income, time allotted for the tour, expectations and tourist population (European Commission, 2005). A 3.7% rate in increase in tourists are expected, starting in 2000 (European Commission D.G. XXIII 1995), though it experiences rivalries from Eastern Asia and the Pacific (European Commission 1995a) and a predicted 10% loss in the growth rate that will significantly affect European tourism growth(European Commission D.G. XXIII 1995) (European Union for Coastal Conservation, 1999). Tourism generates air, water, soil, noise and other common forms of pollution. An average tourist is said to produce about a kilogram of assorted waste per day. Pollution affects the aesthetic appeal of a particular tourist spot and is a major source of sewage and solid waste, especially in beaches and island tourist spots. Dumping of sewage waste as well as other forms of liquid and solid waste lead to eutropication and deterioration of water systems and also affects wildlife and the delicate ecosystem around them (UN, n.d.). Noise pollution that comes from the recreational activities is a major problem in urban and rural tourist spots especially those populated by locals (European Union for Coastal Conservation, 1999). Another popular tourist recreation is golf. Golf courses provide high revenues and employment particularly in Portugal, Spain and the French Riviera. Most of these are also resort facilities and such, have many effects on their surrounding ecosystems. Golf courses have many benefits to flora and fauna like the preservation of several animal and plant species but these benefits are outweighed by the negative effects that come with building golf courses. These negative impacts include soil nutrient loss, disturbance of the local ecosystem and competition over water supply. These negative impacts are amplified when conservation of natural habitat is not considered in a course’s design (European Union for Coastal Conservation, 1999). Tourist have become more interested in cultural, historical and natural sites than purely recreational ones, statistics indicate Roos and Tromp 1994; European Union for Coastal Conservation, 1999). According to the September 2000 ABTA holiday package makers, half of their respondents said that local food and water shortages are one of their main concerns in choosing locations for their clients. The survey also showed that 78% of holiday packager respondents say that information of the environmental and social conditions in their brochures is significant and abut 70% said that the concern of their company for the spot’s environmental condition is either very or fairly significant in their choice of holiday company (Goodwin, 2001). According to the Commission's Action Plan to Assist Tourism from 1993-95, there was a lot of European tourist projects were financed under an 18 million euro budget. It established the "European Prize for Tourism and the Environment” opened to all members of the EU, which stimulated all Member States to bear an awareness to the environmental and cultural states of their tourist spots (European Commission, 2005). After that, April 1995 saw the launch of the Green Paper on The Role of the Union in the Field of Tourism which takes into account the idea of sustainable tourism as well as the measures to be taken to enable this concept. It introduced the relationship between the three domains of tourism namely: consumer affairs, and natural and cultural heritage. It also provided 4 scenarios on the various developmental roles of the Union regarding tourism (European Commission, 2005). UK’s tourism program is currently its largest revenue earner and is currently has a net worth of £75 billion, with 2.1 million jobs provided to about 7.4% of all UK-based employees (Visit Britain, 2004). One of the leading contributors in sustainable tourism is Beacon Local Authorities (Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council, n.d.). Purpose of Tourism in the UK 2003   UK Residents      Trips  Spending    Millions  £ Millions  Holiday, Pleasure/Leisure  70.5  13,667  Visiting friends and relatives, mainly as a holiday  20.5  2,508  Business  22.3  6,142  Visiting Friends and Relatives  34.3  3,444  Other  3.4  712  All Purposes  151.0  26,482    Source: United Kingdom Tourism Survey (UKTS); Star UK, 2003 Distribution of Domestic Tourism by Government Office Region 2003   Trips  Nights  Spend    Millions  Millions  £ MIllions  West Midlands  10.8  25.9  1,633  East of England  11.8  37.6  1,654  East Midlands  9.6  28.0  1,352  London  14.3  32.8  3,212  North West  16.0  44.4  2,615  North East  4.8  13.3  824  South East  20.7  60.1  2,999  South West  22.8  92.1  4,263  Yorkshire & the Humber  13.1  35.8  1,930  Total England  121.3  371.9  20,560  Total UK  151.0  490.5  26,482    Source: United Kingdom Tourism Survey (UKTS); Star UK, 2003 There have been case studies and analysis about the negative impacts of tourism, most of them focusing on the effects of poorly conceived plans and over-development. These studies have been concerned mainly with various strategies and policies, rather than the actual situations themselves (Park et al, 2004). Studies in England regarding tourism’s environmental impacts have been likened to some studies related to international tourism and these studies do not offer some quantitative measures thereby not shedding much truth about the negative impacts it brings. Findings from these studies suggest that tourism is a hundred percent beneficial (especially when statistics showed that it contributes about 9% of the GDP) and not having any negative impacts on the environment. The number of tourists who wish to visit national parks and AONB’s pose a continuous threat to the environment, putting much strain to the industry. Most of the environmental problems themselves come from the ill discipline of tourists who visit tourist spots and this must be seriously considered. Also rural tourism is much more delicate than urban tourism and thus demands more attention from this matter (Park et al, 2004). New types of tourist recreations such as hang gliding, hot air ballooning and off-road driving complicate the environmental situation further. Local governments and park owner/managers have always tried to maintain certain authority over these activities with help from voluntary bodies like RSPB, Wildlife Trusts and the National Trust. The National Trust for example has had a case with the Peak and Lake Districts about soil erosion they inflicted to public roads. A study by Wanhill (1997) reveals certain attitudes of locals living near or at coastal and rural tourist spots, their daily activities and their look at their environment. From a list of 15 things that that irritated them the most, on the top was traffic congestion, followed by packed streets, shopping nuisances, price increases of their goods, environmental pollution especially noise pollution. This study reflects costs that were enumerated and discussed earlier in this paper (Park et al, 2004). As mentioned previously, tourism plays a large role in the revenues generated in the UK, making up 4.5% of its GDP and 7% of its employment. In order to maintain these rates of economic development, the soundness of the environment should be maintained. England attracts and entertains millions of tourists annually, who visit their pristine countryside, coasts and marine areas. This steady growth in tourism is very important in England’s rural and urban economic development. Local wildlife and geologic formations are main attractions, but may be exploited due to mismanagement and over development (English Nature, 2004). ‘Ecotourism’ or ‘green tourism’ is the term for synonymous to sustainable tourism today. This type of tourism focuses on providing backdrops for country-side visits, trips to ecological sites and anywhere which relates more to nature than leisure. Green tourism has become a substitute to a purely leisure type of tourism and teaches tourists about the importance of conserving nature. This also provides much to local employment, as well as opportunities for locals to have tourists patronize their goods and services. It also benefits the area in a very social way as the locals and tourists interact with each other improving the welfare of both tourists and locals (English Nature, 2004). A balance between nature and tourism can be possible, as shown by National parks. With over 110 million tourists visiting Wales’ and England’s national parks annually, the parks sustain themselves through the funds they collect from visitors. National parks also help the local population by providing job opportunities and business opportunities to locals. Though visitors still cause several problems such as erosion and garbage, the National Park Authorities provide funds for the solution of these problems. The park authorities follow the 'Sandford Principle' in which it is stated that nature conservation comes first above anything. The principle was made possible under section 62 of the Environment Act 1995. The 'Sandford Principle' also lets the park authorities to promote the local economy and other needs of the community (Naturenet, 2006). The UK also ran a string of campaigns focusing on the ethics and responsibilities of tourists and tourism companies. This campaign is spearheaded by the Tourism Concern, Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) and Tearfund and it emphasised on the adverse social and environmental, as well as the positive impacts of tourism on the UK and other participating communities. In conjunction to this, the UK government has initiated in 1994-1997, a research on Tourism, Conservation and Sustainable Development for the development of their local government and communities (Goodwin et al, 1997) and its role in fighting poverty in some affected areas. The Department for International Development also released funds for the implementation of policies providing groundwork to the Commission on Sustainable Development in 1999 (Goodwin, 1998), and through the Tourism Challenge Fun, has continued in providing poverty-busting policies ever since (Goodwin, 2001). Looking back in the early 1990’s, the "Tourism and the Environment - Maintaining the Balance" was initiated by the UK under a set of 7 governing principles made by policy makers in the tourism industry to ensure the accomplishment of proper tourism behaviour and practices (European Commission, 2005). Over time the industry expanded its principles about environmental conservation. The British Holiday and Home Parks Association, the Caravan Club, the Camping and Caravanning Club, Camping and Outdoor Leisure Association and National Caravan Council in 1992 all took on the Parks Industry Environmental Code as a set of guidelines on environmentally friendly practices and ecotourism. The code gives particular emphasis on considerate park plans, locale and design, the use of non-environmentally damaging products, proper garbage supervision especially on non-biodegradable ones, and also the reuse of materials (European Commission, 2005). In relation to this, the Scottish Office and their other offices reacted to the UK White Paper entitled “This Common Inheritance", launching an agenda for the improvement of tourist supervision and ecotourism development. The programme is geared to the redefinition of tourism in terms of its impact to the environment and also for ways to achieve sustainable ecotourism. It also focused on how to improve the tourism status in Scotland as what happened to the UK while maintaining the natural environmental states of its tourist spots (European Commission, 2005). Germany on the other hand has looked upon other ways to lessen the negative environmental effects on their tourist spots (European Commission, 2005). The German Travel Agents Association (DRV) has released a set of guiding principles for their hotels and accommodations associations setting "nine good reasons" on the implementation of plans to emphasise environmental preservation, cut-down on costs and increase profits, increased competitiveness, hiring of efficient staff, quality assurance, demand increase, attracting new clients and promoting objective dialogue. The effect of this in the UK is that it is now developing on a local tourist supervision proposal in rural areas along with a seminar based on the guidelines as well as a report based on these guidelines. Statistics show that the Mediterranean, particularly parts that lead to the French, Spanish and Italian coasts is the leading tourists spot in the world (German Fed. Agency for Nature Conserv. 1997; European Union for Coastal Conservation, 1999). The Blue Plan indicates that about 90% of hotel facility for the Mediterranean is placed in countries located in its North-western part. Figures from 1984 show that about half of these locations are in coastal regions which make up about 2,200 km2 of lands area purposely developed for tourism and may increase to as much as 4,000 km2 by the year 2025. The Blue Plan projects that their tourism projects started in 2000 would attract anywhere between 139-184 million visitors to the region, a significant increase from 96 million in 1984 from the 3 member countries from the northwest part accounting for 67-75% of overall tourists (European Union for Coastal Conservation, 1999). The Mediterranean is unique due to the fact that its waters receive limited interactions from the world’s oceans. Scientifically speaking, it’s surface and more uppermost layers are composed of waters from the Atlantic Ocean, the middle zones are made up of Western waters while the bottom zones are made up of the waters from the Mediterranean itself. This water system remains stagnant and is constantly in a state of pollution, putting the local flora and fauna at risk both from the water and the surroundings. This situation is made worse by the outpour of tourist and the over development from the Italian coast which dumps and pollutes the Mediterranean waters in various ways (American University, n.d.). Currently, about 220 million foreign tourists come to the Mediterranean to spend their vacation there and this number is expected to increase to as much as 350 million in the year 2020. Germany has the largest market share for the Mediterranean, with UK, France and Italy following respectively, accounting for the almost 84%f all tourist coming from the rest of Europe. Spain, France, Italy, and Greece accommodate about 80% of all tourists going to the Mediterranean.  Surprisingly, about a third of the world’s global revenue from tourism comes from the Mediterranean and about 2/3 of this income comes back to the more or less 10 tour operators from northern Europe (Data source: WTO - World Tourism Organization; WWF, 2005). According to the League for the Environment, tourists and tourism are the main polluters in the Mediterranean. Tourism in that area increases by 6-10% annually and tourist population is expected to grow up to 280 million by the century’s close. Tourism is one of the greater pollutants of the Mediterranean Sea and according to League for the Environment study; tourism increases 6 to 10 percent annually. By the end of the century the number of tourists could increase to 280 million per year. The UNEP (the United Nations Environment Programme) on the other hand says that the level of mercury, arsenic and other heavy metals left by tourist’s activities pose a serious threat to Mediterranean ecology. The major chemical culprit is phosphorus which causes euthrophication which causes a population boom of algae in the Mediterranean coast near Italy. When the algae on the surface dies and decays It results to water oxygen deprivation which kills fish and other marine animals as well as causing foul odours all over the coast. Also in the Italian Mediterranean coast, 80% of untreated sewage and the majority of solid wastes from tourism get to be dumped into the Mediterranean Sea due to the overflowing capacity of waste treatment plants (American University, n.d.). In the 1990’s a plan to improve the Mediterranean coasts was undertaken, but not without the construction of large structures such as skyscrapers (e.g. Benidorm). The construction of these “tourist havens” has dramatically increased the land required by tourists. This rapid and massive land claim results to more pollution and overdevelopment (European Union for Coastal Conservation, 1999). Tourist not only poses ecological but also economical problems. During the 1960’s to the 1980’s, tourist complexes were built in sand dunes in the European beaches. This development took a toll to the natural beach formations and is very prone to storms and high tides. Governments of the affected areas are then strained to cope up with this damage, costing them millions in funds that should have been allocated somewhere else (European Union for Coastal Conservation, 1999). Another type of tourist accommodation is marinas which require a great deal of labour, money and environmental conversion to construct, often harming the ecosystem (German Fed. Agency for Nature Conserv. 1997). Construction of these marinas deal a significant amount of damage to the environment caused by erosion, loss of natural beach areas etc. (European Union for Coastal Conservation, 1999). Water has also been a perennial problem when tourists are involved. Not only that it is polluted and untreated like solid wastes but also it is consumed in massive quantities by tourists for bathing, laundry and other purposes causing a deficiency in the local water supply. Air quality is also affected by tourist vehicles and from fumes emitted from various other tourist activities (European Union for Coastal Conservation, 1999). Italy possesses a large body of coastal waters (about 8,000 kilometres), essentially a very significant source of revenue for the country through tourism. But as time passed, it has been ignored and neglected, eventually degrading the area’s natural beauty. This causes a rather unfortunate outcome for the Mediterranean sea as it is in actuality an enclosed body of water in which its waters are replaced with waters from other seas and oceans through the Strait of Gibraltar once every 80n years only (American University, n.d.). Italian coasts today are overcrowded and have been run by commercialism as evidenced by the presence of stores, resorts and other tourist-aimed attractions. What happens is that tons of wastes are being dumped in to the coasts unmonitored and uncontrolled. Reports have revealed that out of Italy’s 300 waste treatments plants, only 5 or 6 are operational even though a large chunk of funds are dedicated to waste disposal and management. In the previous 30 years, Italian coasts have been overdeveloped and abused (American University, n.d.). As for France, it has been also been severely affected by Mediterranean pollution. A 62.2% increase in tourist population during the summer months, from approximately 4,892,000 to about 7,935,000 people in the 3 French Mediterranean coasts is very alarming indeed. This figure doubles constantly each year. This is mainly due to the huge number of campsites that are mostly left unattended by the authorities (American University, n.d.). These negative environmental impacts on coasts are due to the construction of large structures such as hotels, marinas, transport facilities etc. and also from recreational activities such as golfing, theme parks, beaches etc. The tourism industry is in essence, destroying itself. The dilapidation of the environment is mainly due to the over accommodation of tourists as well as their ill discipline. Maurer (1995) an expert in tourism quotes if coastal areas lose their attractiveness due to pollution, it also hinders their ability to bring in more tourists. That particular area would lose to the other areas and will degrade further. This lost may not be prevented in any other way even through large transactions (European Union for Coastal Conservation, 1999). A law made by the European community in December 8, 1975 has only been approved by Italy only after 7 years. This is known as Directive 76/160, and after I was ratified, this directive was only implemented in 1984-85. The law required the government to sample their waters in their coastal regions but it did not specify where to take the samples. Actually, the law specifically states that the samples were to be taken not more than 2 kilometres apart and should only be taken away from areas near the mouth of rivers (American University, n.d.). The UN in 1975 approved the MAP or Mediterranean action plan, and about ten years later (1985), the same countries that participated in MAP (excluding Albania) also declared the Geneva Declaration proposes by Greenpeace as part of their Campaign to Save the Mediterranean. In 1987, a plan was initiated by the European Investment Bank and the World Bank called the Environmental Program for the Mediterranean (EPM) to meet the institutional, financial and environmental requirements of the Mediterranean and also to prevent the total degradation of the Mediterranean coastal areas. The EPM has about a span of 5 years and is expected to have about $200 million in expenditures. An off shoot of the MAP is the Blue Plan, which started as a revision for the MAP, and is to be taken up by any member country who participated to the environmental development and rehabilitation of the Mediterranean up until the year 2025. It has 3 approaches: the promotion of strong cooperation between inter-Mediterranean regions and better North-South harmony, second the proper consideration of any of the effects of any method to the development of the Mediterranean in any area and the further understanding and improve relationship between affected regions (American University, n.d.). Tourism has its share of pros and cons, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with travelling and having a vacation. The only thing is that tourists must be considerate of their host country’s ecology so that pollution and other negative impacts would be prevented. Their visit and leisurely pursuits must strike a balance between their financial, environmental and social considerations for their host countries. With these in mind, the tourist and the host country will benefit from each other. Both parties must aim to have a sustainable relationship with the environment so that tourism will continue to benefit all. In the social aspect, tourists are encouraged to get along with the locals so that not only will they have stronger ties that will develop through them but also have a better economic relationship between them. On then environmental aspect, the wise use of resources and the reduction of waste are very much important in the cutback of pollution generated from tourism. One suggested solution is the implementation of a sound tourist education program by the host country and community to make their visitors aware of the local environmental status (Green party, 2003). Tourism is dependent on the state of the tourist’s spots attractions and its aesthetic value as well as its biological components such as flora and fauna. These biotic factors are very delicate while some are endangered and all are easily affected with the slightest amount of pollution applied to their ecosystem. An awareness of sorts for the preservation and protection of these biological factors is also necessary for tourists wanting to witness such natural wonders. Also, man-made and natural structures are also meant to be preserved and enjoyed as these are landmarks to the beauty of that area, and with appreciation also come respect for these structures as they are (Green party, 2003). In this respect, tourism entails a lot of boons and banes for the host country. A country that manages their visitors and their own tourists spots well will reap the rewards of their efforts soon enough. As always, it must be kept in mind that the abuse of the environment will cause it to self-destruct, and often the repercussions and consequences for this is often irreversible. Bibliography American University. (n.d.). Mediterranean Pollution and Tourism (MEDIT). American University. Available from: http://www.american.edu/projects/mandala/TED/MEDIT.HTM. [Accessed 27 March 2006]. Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council. (n.d.).Tourism Facts and Figures. Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council. Available from: http://www.crewe-nantwich.gov.uk/main.asp?page=1210 [Accessed 27 March 2006]. Council of Europe. (2004). Questions and Answers. Tourism & Environment No. 3. Available from: http://www.coe.int/t/e/cultural_co-operation/Environment/Nature_and_biological_diversity/Publications/QA3_tourism.pdf. European Commission. (2002). EUguides - Tourism and the European Union. 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