Environmental Impacts and the Relation With Sustainable Tourism Planning - Research Paper Example

Environmental Impacts and the Relation with Sustainable Tourism Planning and Development Being one of the fastest growing sectors in the contemporary world tourism has a significant effect on the economic growth and development in most economies. The industry is directly related to the environment, both man-made and natural effects influence tourism. However, the link between the environment and tourism is complicated as environmental impacts can have either a positive or a negative impact on sustainable tourism. Changes in the environment including construction of general infrastructure, hotels and other tourism facilities can have a positive impact on tourism. On the other hand, negative changes in the environment including global warming can have adverse effects n sustainable tourism. This research paper discusses environmental impacts and the relation with sustainable tourism planning and development. Keywords: Sustainable tourism, environmental impacts, planning and development Environmental Impacts and the Relation with Sustainable Tourism Planning and Development Introduction The environment has a significant impact on tourism that is known to be one of the fastest growing sectors in the modern world. Tourism is a people-based sector that has revitalized economies through job creation and generation of income. Changes in the environment have a negative impact on sustainable tourism development and planning. Sustainable tourism has become increasingly important in the modern times (GhulamRabbany et al., 2013). Tourism activities including ecotourism, adventure travel, business travel and holidays need to sustainable. Sustainable tourism refers to the kind of tourism that respects tourists, the local people their cultural heritage and environmental issues. It seeks to provide tourists with an educational and exciting experience that benefits the tourist destination. Objectives The main objectives of the research include: I. To understand the concept of sustainable tourism. II. To determine the positive and negative environmental impacts and the relation with sustainable tourism planning and development. Research Methodology The research has been done basing on secondary information and a literature survey. Various journal articles, task force reports, seminar discussions, papers and books on the environmental impacts on sustainable tourism have been used for the purpose of the study. Environmental experts were interviewed to add to the information in the study. Conceptual Framework The 21st century has marked a momentous period for the tourism industry as it has led to improvements in the sector in terms of income generation. There have been numerous impacts of the environment on sustainable tourism and this can be explained using the external theory (Wang, 2009). This is a theory in economics that can be used to explain environmental impacts and the relation with sustainable tourism planning and development. According to the theory, there are negative and positive impacts of the environment on sustainable tourism discussed in the section below. Literature Review The Tourism Industry The tourism industry has reached high levels in terms of tourist destinations, number of visitors and levels of profits. Additionally, the tourism sector has grown immensely with the emergence of various forms of tourism such as destination tourism, animal tourism and sports tourism (GhulamRabbany et al., 2013). There has been the emergence of a new form of tourism that is referred to as sustainable tourism. Environmental impacts play a key role in sustainable tourism. Sustainable Tourism Sustainable tourism has become a popular trend in the modern times owing to the increasing importance in environmental concerns. Sustainable tourism takes into account environmental changes in the modern world. It must be planned in a way that considers the environmental issues (GhulamRabbany et al., 2013). It is complex to establish the limits in the thus it is important for the tourism sector to take issues of environmental conservation into consideration. Properly planned environmental impacts can have a positive impact on maintaining tourism sustainability. The growth of sustainable tourism has led to a wide range of problems that have become common in the recent years (Mowforth and Munt, 2003). These problems are closely linked to the environmental impacts in various tourist destinations thereby affecting planning and development in the tourism sector. If sustainable tourism is well planned, managed and developed, in an environmentally conscious and socially responsible manner, it can bring numerous benefits to the local communities (GhulamRabbany et al., 2013). An improved environment means that the standards of living are improving and this leads to an improvement in sustainable tourism. Socio- cultural changes in the environment relating to the quality of life in a tourist destination lead to an improvement in sustainable tourism. Negative changes in the quality of life including an increase in the rate of assault and petty thefts from hotel rooms and cars negatively affect planning in sustainable tourism (Godfrey and Clarke, 2000). On the other hand, positive changes in the quality of life including an improvement in the standards of living, cultural entertainment and incomes lead to an improvement in sustainable planning in the tourism sector. GhulamRabbany et al (2013) assert that sustainable tourism has become increasingly sensitive and is dependent on the environmental impacts. Therefore, sustainable tourism planning and development should focus on activities that enhance environmental integrity of cultural heritage resources and nature. Additionally, they anticipate that sustainable tourism will make a positive contribution to the global and local economies. It is important for the local communities to be directly involved in issues of environmental sustainability (Hall, 2000). Human communities signify and the environment represents a basic resource on which sustainable tourism is built on. The environment and communities are the main reasons why tourists travel. This proves that sustainable tourism planning and development is dependent on the environmental impacts in the tourist destination. Williams (2004) goes ahead to argue that there are various reasons behind travel, the common one being curiosity. Tourists travel to a given destination because they are curious to see what the environment and culture in the destination have to offer. Direct Environmental Impacts Water Quality Water is the basis resource that supports human, plan and marine life. If the water quality in a given tourist destination is low, this will adversely affect sustainable tourism. Additionally, tourist activities include water related activities such as surfing, swimming and fishing (GhulamRabbany et al., 2013). Thereby, if the quality of water is compromised, it is difficult to establish sustainable tourism and plan for it in future. Air Quality Tourists travel in destinations that have fresh air and clean environments. Destinations that are characterized by high levels of pollution are unpopular even though they have a lot to offer (GhulamRabbany et al., 2013). Increased air pollution resulting from high levels of human activities such as automobile emissions and emissions of harmful gases from industries leads to unsustainable tourism planning and development. Noise Pollution This has become a common problem in the modern world owing to the increased levels of human activity (GhulamRabbany et al., 2013). This causes hearing problems among people and distress to the wildlife. Noise pollution negatively affects sustainable tourism planning and development since it leads to a decline in the number of tourists. Littering and an Accumulation of Solid Waste This is one of the major environmental impacts that negatively affect sustainable tourism across the globe. Unfortunately, areas with high levels of tourist activities are faced by the problem of littering making it difficult to promote sustainable tourism. For example, cruise ships in the Caribbean are known to dump over 70, 000 tons of solid waste annually (GhulamRabbany et al., 2013). This has adverse effects on sustainability of tourist activities. Impacts of Wildlife Wildlife is known to be the most attractive aspect in the tourism sector. Human activities such as encroachment of forests, fishing and construction of industries lead to the distraction of wildlife. These changes in the environment caused by human activities lead to a decline in the sustainability, planning and development in tourism. Habitat Fragmentation Natural habitats and ecosystems are damaged by human activities including transport and industrialization (GhulamRabbany et al., 2013). Boats and other vessels damage the vegetation in large air bodies and this adversely affects the marine life leading to negative impacts on tourism sustainability. Aesthetic and Cultural Impacts Tourists are attracted to the aesthetic and cultural value in various destinations. However, overtime changes in the environment affect architectural structures that attract tourist to a given destination. For example, the construction of hotels along Miami and Atlantic City has had a negative impact on the beach scenery (GhulamRabbany et al., 2013). Additionally, Jerusalem’s architectural beauty was destroyed by the construction of hotels and other structures. Destruction of the cultural and aesthetic value in tourist attraction sites by impacts of the environment negatively influences tourism sustainability, planning and development. Measures to Minimize the Negative Impacts of the Environment on Sustainable Tourism The environmental impacts on tourism have become increasingly obvious in the environmental sustainability. There are various initiatives taken by governments across the globe to minimize the negative impacts of the environment on sustainable tourism. Government initiatives to come up with environmentally friendly policies are seen as positive efforts towards enhancing tourism sustainability (GhulamRabbany et al., 2013). Voluntary efforts by some industrial sectors including tourism and construction have led to the preservation of the environment and this leads to improvement of sustainable tourism. There should be improved environmental planning and management of facilities and activities in the environment that are directly linked to tourism. This requires vigilant planning based on the study of the environmental aspects in the area. Through proper planning for tourism sustainability and development, expensive and irreversible mistakes can be avoided. Cleaner and more efficient production methods should be adopted to minimize negative environmental impacts on sustainable tourism (GhulamRabbany et al., 2013). Waste treatment and disposal are some of the major environmental issues that adversely affect tourism, it is therefore important for various industries to come up with efficient disposal methods in a move to promote tourism sustainability and planning. It is also important to enhance environmental preservation and protection to facilitate sustainable tourism planning and development. Conclusion In summary, the environment has numerous effects on sustainable tourism planning and development. The external theory has been used to describe this relationship and this has been combined with a literature review of some of the works on this relationship. Future research should research more on this issue to come up with solutions to the environmental issues affecting sustainable tourism. References GhulamRabbany, M., Afrin, S., Rahman, A., Islam, F., & Hoque, F. (2013). Environmental effects of tourism. American Journal of Environment, Energy and Power Research, 1(7), 117-130. Godfrey, K., & Clarke, J. (2000). The tourism development handbook: A practical approach to planning and marketing. London: Continuum. Hall, M.C. (2000). Trends in ocean and coastal tourism: The end of the last frontier. Ocean &Coastal Management, 44, 601-618. Mowforth, M., & Munt, I. (2003). Tourism and sustainability: Development and new tourism in the third World. (2nd ed.). Routledge. Wang, J. (2009). Study on the Eco-tourism Environment Protection Based on the External Theory. Asian Social Science, 5(1), 13- 17. Williams, S. (2004). Critical concepts in the social sciences. London: Routledge. Read More