SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

LESSON 2: DEFINITION, DIMENSION AND DETERMINANTS OF TOURISM

 Sustainable tourism is about reducing negative impacts and

maximizing positive results.

 To develop tourism in a sustainable manner, it requires an

understanding of the possible impacts of tourism and these impacts

that occur at the economic, environmental, and social dimensions

Tourism Impacts

 Hall and Lew (2009, 54) defined impact as ―a change in a given state over

time as the result of an external stimulus.

 Tourism impact may be defined as effect brought about directly and

indirectly by tourism policies, tourism-related establishments and

infrastructure, and tourist behavior.

Tourism Impacts

 Sustainable tourism is created and managed in a manner that meets the

current needs of travelers and host communities, without sacrificing future
generations' requirements involving:

  Mitigate the negative effects of travel on the climate and on culture;

  Optimizing the effect on host populations;

  Offering a positive traveler experience with educational opportunities or

opportunities for interacting with locals; and

  The role of local communities in tourism planning.

Dimensions Of Tourism Impacts

 Tourism impacts maybe categorized in terms of their scope, the direction of

change and types of impact, and the scale, distribution, and duration of the

effects.
Dimensions Of Tourism Impacts

 Economic Impacts – e.g. inflation, opportunity costs and over-dependence on

tourism
Dimensions Of Tourism Impacts

 Environmental Positive Impacts

 Tourism can stimulate environmental and/or conservation initiatives of countryside

and/or wildlife;

 Tourism can help to promote the development of national parks and / or Fauna
Reserves;

 Tourism will help to conserve the buildings / monuments (this includes World
Heritage Sites, for example, at UNESCO);

 Tourism can provide the money through, for example, admission fees, that maintain
historic buildings, wildlife and heritage sites
Dimensions Of Tourism Impacts

 Environmental Positive Impacts

 tourists are likely to drop litter;

 tourism can contribute to congestion in terms of overcrowding of people as well as traffic

congestion;

 tourism can contribute to the pollution of water courses and beaches;

 tourism may result in footpath erosion;

 tourism can lead to the creation of unsightly human structures such as buildings (e.g.
hotels) that do not fit in with vernacular architecture;

 tourism may lead to damage and/or disturbance to wildlife habitats.

Dimensions Of Tourism Impacts

 Social Impacts

 Long-term residents, or those who are indigenous people, tend to be more mindful of tourism's social impacts and
view immigration as a challenge to their culture.

 The attitude of the native people towards tourism goes through four phases, as described by Doxley (quoted by
Fennel 2007:47-48):

 Euphoria – the group invites visitors, without any supervision or planning;

Apathy – tourists are regarded by the culture, and tourists – the relationship with the locals becomes formal and commercial;

 Inconvenience – getting flooded with tourism industry, the city is beginning to shift its attitude towards tourism. Decision-makers
are expanding infrastructure further, rather than restricting growth;

 Antagonism – Locals are displaying their tourist and visitor's frustration.

Planning can be the solution, but to improve the declining image and credibility of the town, an increased
advertising effort is contract
Dimensions Of Tourism Impacts

 Cultural Impacts

 The interaction between cultures, lifestyles, values and practices has also been
correlated with tourism.

 Tourism will certainly have an influence on the handicrafts, language, customs,

gastronomy, art and music of the locals, area history / including visual reminders,
styles of resident jobs, architecture , religion (including obvious manifestations),
education systems, dress and recreation activities.
Dimensions Of Tourism Impacts

 Political Impacts

 Political factors have always had a great impact on the demand for travel and as a
general observation, tourism is a fairly fragile industry, vulnerable to all different
kinds of internal and external impacts, including political issues.

 Every government plans and decisions merely affect the tourism industry. It can
either increase or decrease a country's attractiveness for tourism, depending on
what the government’s changes and plans.
Determinants Of Tourism Impacts

 The level of economic development of the destination;

 The strength of linkages between the tourism industry and other economic sectors;

 The capacity of the stakeholders, tourism policy, tourism laws, tourism

development criteria, and weighs;

 The proximity to the tourism core;

 The location of development; technology and design; physical and social carrying
capacities; volume of tourism and residents-tourist’s ratio; and

 The tourist market served.

Determinants Of Tourism Impacts

 THE LEVEL OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE DESTINATION

 The further developed the tourism market, the more economically the destination
would benefit from tourism

A similar framework for assessing a place’s potential for tourism is the ―As ‖
framework suggested by Cruz (2009).  Access  Accommodation  Activities
Attractions  Amenities  Atmosphere  Attitude  Administration  Assistance 
Awareness
Determinants Of Tourism Impacts

 THE STRENGTH OF LINKAGES BETWEEN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY AND OTHER

ECONOMIC SECTORS

 Tourism 's net economic effect depends on the proportion of revenue held in local
economy. Leakage-arises when we import goods or pay for administrative advice
from expatriates.
Determinants Of Tourism Impacts

 THE CAPACITY OF THE STAKEHOLDERS, TOURISM POLICY, TOURISM LAWS, TOURISM DEVELOPMENT CRITERIA,
AND WEIGHS.

One of the main problems in tourism growth is the degree to which the stakeholders share the benefits and opportunities.

  Social representation-relates to how people construct tourism awareness and its impacts.

  The theory of social representations – notes that "where there is insufficient knowledge of tourism, a group of
destinations must either create its own social representation of tourism or adopt an established one."

  Environmental discrimination – is the outcome and mechanism by which environmental policies produce intended or
unintended effects, particularly those that have unequal impacts on individuals, populations or societies, ethnic or racial
populations, women and lower income groups;

  Environmental discrimination – is the outcome and mechanism by which environmental policies produce intended or
unintended effects, particularly those that have unequal impacts on individuals, populations or societies, ethnic or racial
populations, women and lower income groups;
Determinants Of Tourism Impacts

 THE CAPACITY OF THE STAKEHOLDERS, TOURISM POLICY, TOURISM LAWS,

TOURISM DEVELOPMENT CRITERIA, AND WEIGHS.

 Tourism Policy

 Tourism policy as expressed in actions of the government, presidential

decrees or municipal legislation. It describes the country's prioritization of
tourism in relation to the overall growth plan and outlines the tourism
development objects and key strategies to achieve them.
Determinants Of Tourism Impacts

 The proximity to the tourism core;

Determinants Of Tourism Impacts

 THE LOCATION OF DEVELOPMENT; TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN; PHYSICAL AND

SOCIAL CARRYING CAPACITIES; VOLUME OF TOURISM AND RESIDENTS-
TOURIST’S RATIO.

 Density of tourism refers to the number of visitors at a given time in relation to the
destination location.

 Tourism ratio refers to the volume of tourists in relation to the local population.
Determinants Of Tourism Impacts

 THE TOURIST MARKET SERVED.

The tourist markets served determine the kind of impacts that are exerted on the host destination
as well as those experience by the tourists themselves.

 Institutionalized Tourists

 Organized mass tourist

 Individual mass tourist

 Non-institutionalized Tourists

 Explorers

 Drifters
Determinants Of Tourism Impacts

 THE TOURIST MARKET SERVED.

 Technology

 With the introduction of the latest generation of aircraft, noise and greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft,
which is the mode of long-haul travel, have been reduced considerably. Installing wastewater treatment plant
will minimize water pollution. Tourist resorts may have solar panels installed to reduce their dependency on
commercial electricity.

 Tourism Carrying Capacity

 The amount of human activity that an area can tolerate without degrading the environment, adversely affecting
the local community, or decreasing the quality of visitor experience. (Hawkins & Middleton 1998). The largest
number of people who can visit a tourist destination at the same time, without causing the physical, economic ,
sociocultural environment to be ruined, and an undesirable reduction in the level of visitor satisfaction. (WTO)