Tourism industry: The business of providing services such as transport, places to stay, or entertainment for visitors; belongs to the tertiary sector of the economy.  

Tourist: a person who is travelling to / visiting a place for leisure.

 

Global Tourism

Reasons for growth of global tourism 

• Greater affluence/ more disposable income

• More paid holidays (from work)

• Longer holidays / people retire earlier

• People becoming more adventurous/ want to experience new cultures

• Development of infrastructure

• Development of transport/ accessibility

• Cheaper air travel/ more airports/ more direct flights

• Investment in tourist facilities/ hotels

• More advertising/ greater awareness/ online booking

• More travel agencies 

• Package holidays

• Countries opening up their borers (eg. China and Russia)

 

Why number of tourists visiting a destination varies over time - annual & seasonal variations

• Tourist industry may be seasonal (eg. skiing season, cherry blossom season)

• It is dependent on weather (more tourists tend to visit in sunny/warmer)

• Tourists avoid times when there are hazards (eg. monsoon season)

• Variations in price/ holiday availability

• Tourism is affected by fluctuations in economy/ recessions/ unemployment/ value of currency (exchange rates)

• Tourism may increase over time due to building of airports

• Tourism may increase over time due to development of attractions/resorts

• Tourism is affected by political unrest/ terrorism

• Impact of viruses / health scares 

• Advertising / publicity increases tourism

• Holiday patterns; school holidays / national holidays

• Restricting/boosting tourist numbers by Government (e.g. investment or ecotourism)

 

Tourist attractions

Human landscape attractions

• Historical buildings - castles/palaces/monuments/museums/heritage sites

• Cultural buildings 

• Religious buildings- Temples/ churches

• Shopping centres / markets

• Restaurants / bars/ discos 

• Hotels/ resorts

• Theme parks

• Harbours 

• Parks & Gardens

• Watersports, cruise, etc

• Bird parks, safaris, etc

• festivals/ carnivals

• Sporting venues

 

Natural landscape attractions

• Coastal location

  • Beaches 

  • Cliffs

  • Sheltered bays / headlands

  • Coral reefs

  • Palm trees / tropical vegetation

  • Sunbathing / watersports

  • River valley

  • Attractive scenery

  • Watersports 

  • Mountain area

  • Winter sports activities: hiking/skiing

• Flat land for building hotels

• Sunny climate

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Impacts of tourism

Benefits

For destination countries

• Attracts foreign investment

• Building / expansion of airport

• Construction / improvement of roads/ railways - better transport links/ accessibility

• Installation of electricity grid

• Improvement in healthcare/ hospitals

• Improved water supply / piped water

• Improved sewage systems

• Improvement to telecommunications

• Increased internet availability

 

For locals

• Employment

• Increased business: hotels, souvenir shops, sale of craft items

• Increased demand for farm products / fish

• Development of infrastructure (eg. water, electricity, sewage)

• Improved healthcare

• Transport improvements (eg. airports, roads)

• Increased GDP / foreign currency inflows

• Cultural exchange/ learn new languages

• Improved skills/education: building of schools, etc.

• Multiplier effect

 

How tourism earns money for a country

• Renting rooms/ hotels

• Providing food for tourists 

• Local businesses/ souvenir shops

• Transportation for tourists

• Currency exchange

• Entry fees into museums

• Selling of visas

 

How tourism provides employment 

• Hotels

• Restaurants

• Transportation; taxi/bus drivers

• Entertainment industry

• Shops

• Construction

• Tour guides

• Travel agencies

• Instructors, eg. for water skiing

 

For local natural environment

• Creating National Parks conserves species

• Careful management preserves natural environment / prevents extinction

• Money earned is used to protect the environment 

 

Disadvantages

For locals

• Low paid jobs/exploitation

• Seasonal employment 

• Money spent on tourism rather than needs of locals

• Inflation/cannot afford prices in shops

• Increase in property prices

• Clearance of housing (due to facilities being built)

• Loss of farmland

• Loss of fishing grounds

• Pressure on water supplies

• Pollution of drinking water

• Traffic congestion

• Air pollution - breathing difficulties

• Litter

• Visual pollution/spoils the scenery

• Loss of privacy

• Noise 

• Offence caused by behaviour/appearance of tourists (eg. clothing)

• Vandalism/ graffiti 

• Loss of culture

• Locals can’t access areas they could before 

• Increased business for tourist providers/shops/restaurants

• Hotel earn more income, so locals do not gain

 

For local natural environment

• Deforestation/ loss of natural vegetation

• Loss of habitat

• Loss of biodiversity 

• Disruption of food chains / ecosystems 

• Water pollution / oil spills

• Death of marine life

• Damage to corals

• Overfishing 

• Lowering of water table

• Animals scared by noise

• Air pollution from vehicle exhausts / flights 

• Disrupts breeding patterns

• Feeding of animals makes them dependent on humans/ inappropriate diet

 

How seasonal changes in number of tourists visiting causes problems

• Seasonal employment

• Inconsistent income

• Hotels will be full during certain times of the year, and under-used during others

• Traffic congestion at busiest times

• Visitor attractions will be overcrowded

• More litter in peak season

 

Sustainable tourism 

Explain how tourism is managed so that the natural environment is not destroyed

• Creations of natural parks

• Develop ecotourism

• Limit number of tourists 

• Charge entrance fees, which can later be spent on conservation

• Fence/ limit access to certain areas (especially those with wildlife)

• Only allow people to access areas with a guide

• Ban hunting

• Promote recycling/ litter bins

• Build pathways/ boardwalks

• Use renewable energy (eg. electric vehicles, solar power, cycling)

 

Explain how creating a national park can help maintain, conserve, and improve the quality of the natural environment

• Protects vegetation/wildfire/environment 

• Less vegetation lost

• Number of visitors reduced/controlled

• Buildings/ industrial development will be controlled

• Some areas fenced/ out of bounds

• Rangers employed to help protect the area

• Litter bins

• Visitors educated/informed