The Environmental Impact of Tourism and Recreation is almost always harmful. Discuss

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            The Environmental Impact of Tourism and Recreation is almost always harmful. Discuss.    ( June 2001)

The quality of the environment, both natural and man-made, is essential to tourism. However, tourism's relationship with the environment is complex. It involves many activities that can have adverse environmental effects. Many of these impacts are linked with the construction of general infrastructure such as roads and airports, and of tourism facilities, including resorts, hotels, restaurants, shops, golf courses and marinas. The negative impacts of tourism development can gradually destroy the environmental resources on which it depends.

On the other hand, tourism has the potential to create beneficial effects on the environment by contributing to environmental protection and conservation. It is a way to raise awareness of environmental values and it can serve as a tool to finance protection of natural areas and increase their economic importance.

                               

Negative impacts from tourism occur when the level of visitor use is greater than the environment's ability to cope with this use within the acceptable limits of change. There are three main impact areas. One of these is the depletion of natural resources, such as water. In dryer regions like the Mediterranean, the issue of water scarcity is of particular concern. Because of the hot climate and the tendency of tourists to consume more water when on holiday than they do at home, the amount used can run up to 440 litres a day. This is almost double what the inhabitants of an average Spanish city use.

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Golf course maintenance can also deplete fresh water resources. In recent years golf tourism has increased in popularity and the number of golf courses has grown rapidly.

Tourism can create great pressure on local resources like energy, food, and other raw materials that may already be in short supply. Greater extraction and transport of these resources exacerbates the physical impacts associated with their exploitation. Because of the seasonal character of the industry, many destinations have ten times more inhabitants in the high season as in the low season. A high demand is placed upon these resources to meet the high ...

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I have no criticism of the quality of writing. The student follows the conventions of structure by using an introduction - main argument - conclusion format. The grammar, spelling and punctuation are all in order.

The student gives evidence (in the form of examples of locations where the environment has been impacted by tourism) throughout the essay. This is important as it shows that the arguments are based on fact and evidence, not opinion. Thus the view argued is stronger. If anything, I would like to see even more examples, which could further strengthen the argument.

This is a good response that clearly addresses the question by outlining the relationship between tourism and the environment in the introduction. This is good as it eases the reader into the argument and shows that the student has some background knowledge on the topic. The student then sets out a coherent argument by exploring the 3 ways that tourism can damage the argument, each in a separate paragraph. This makes it clear and easy to follow. They then give the counterargument that tourism can be good for the environment. Thus, they demonstrate consideration to both sides, hence showing a fair and balanced argument.