WATER USE
The tourism industry generally overuses water resources for hotels, swimming pools, golf courses and personal use of water by tourists. This can result in water shortages and degradation of water supplies, as well as generating a greater volume of waste water
Golf courses require an enormous amount of water every day and this can result in water scarcity. If the water comes from wells, over-pumping can cause saline intrusion into groundwater. In recent years golf tourism has increased in popularity and the number of golf courses has grown rapidly. Golf resorts are more and more often situated in or near protected areas or areas where resources are limited, exacerbating their impacts.
(http://www.gdrc.org/uem/eco-tour/envi/one.html)
LOCAL RESOURCES
Tourism can create 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. (http://www.gdrc.org/uem/eco-tour/envi/one.html)
LAND DEGRADATION
Important land resources include fertile soil, forests, wetlands and wildlife. Increased construction of tourism facilities has increased the pressure on these resources and on scenic landscapes.
Direct impact on natural resources in the provision of tourist facilities can be caused by the use of land for accommodation and other infrastructure provision
()
SOLID WASTE AND LITTERING
In areas with high concentrations of tourist activities and appealing natural attractions, waste disposal is a serious problem and improper disposal can be a major despoiler of the natural environment - rivers, scenic areas, and roadsides. For example, cruise ships in the Caribbean are estimated to produce more than 70,000 tons of waste each year. Today some cruise lines are effectively working on reducing their waste reated impacts. Solid waste and littering can degrade the physical appearance of the water and shoreline and also cause the death of marine animals. ()
POSITIVE IMPACTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT
Tourism can help the sustainable management of protected areas, can restore and preserve environmental resources. It has lots of economic benefits that can help the environment as a number of positive outcomes is generated. Tourism helps locals realize the value of their asset and make them want to preserve it.
Positive impacts can occur from tourism since there is ability to create advantageous effects by taking a part on environments and sensitive areas protection and using the economic benefits to help natural resources.
Employment
Tourism industry maintain employment: The number of people employed in tourism internationally is huge and a vast majority of those rely on tourism for their livelihoods. If the tourists stopped visiting areas in the developing world, then those living there would be in ruin. They would have no income and not other jobs available to them.
National Parks
Establishment of national parks will increase employment, if we consider that one park can create a hundred of jobs that they don’t necessary require a college degree this will makes for lots of people life easier. National parks and environment is one good example to see how tourism and environment can be managed together. Parks can bring money from the entrance fees to the government and contribute to environmental and wildlife protection, they can conserve and enhance the natural beauty, maintain to cultural traditions of the area and provide education to the visitors. Using parks as tourist attractions helps to protect our environment.
Communication & Area Improvement
Improving roads for tourism entry gives neighboring villages better access to the outside world and areas appearance, optical or aesthetic in order to attract more tourists
Raising awareness
Increase public appreciation of the environment through internet, advertisements, leaflets, television. That would help to make people realize the value of environment, its one of the most significant parts of our lives.
Preserve historic monuments
Well managed tourism can assist to renovate and conserve historic monuments and buildings. Through conservation and renovation of these buildings we help tourism development and we keep the environment cleaner. Tourism can supply money to help to repair such significant buildings for example through entry or user fees, or indirectly through taxes.
NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT
Tourism can cause many different problems, from sea and land pollution to habitat loss and deforestation. Negative impacts can occur when a destination has higher number of tourists than the one could handle, this would progressively ruin the environment for long time if its not forever. As an example, suppliers of water in Greece are less than they were last year because the greek population is being increased by 25% and at the same time rain is decreased by 40%.
FLAURA AND FAUNA
Tourism can harm flora and fauna. The collection of plants or irresponsible use of fire can extirpate plantlife. Trash such as paper cans and bottles that is dumped by the people can causes changes in soil nutrients.
Human and vehicular traffic causes damage to soil and plants. Forests are often damaged from tourism in the form of deforestation caused by fuel wood collection and land clearing. As an example, one trekking tourist in Nepal can use four to five kilograms of wood a day.
WATER POLLUTION AND NOISE
Pollution of lakes, rivers and oceans that is being caused by large quantities of waste disposal by hotels, fuel from ships and other boat traffic.
Activities that take place on open water, such as sailing, water-skiing generate noise that often scares animals in the area and even drives them out of their habitat.
The water itself is also likely to become polluted with various chemicals. Boats produce fumes and waste and people may dump things. The paint on the underside of boats starts to peel off after time and leaves a dangerous oxide in the water that reduces oxygen levels and damages wildlife. This pollution can cause diseases such as typhoid, cholera and hepatitis through seafood and also it could cause eutrophication by increasing the nutrients in the water. Eutrophication causes fluctuations in the oxygen supply anddistribution, which affects all aquatic life (Ibid., 104) Coral reefs are the most vulnerable case since they can be harmed by trampling from scuba divers and snorkelers to untreated sewage dumped from hotels or the resort. Cities themselves and many developing countries are using coral for construction of hotels and roads. (Ibid., 258-9)
WILDLIFE
Much of the industry itself is geared towards animal watching or photography, as it is evident from the increase in popularity of safaris in African national parks and the increasing number of tourists traveling to Antarctica. By intruding on the animals natural lives, tourism can disrupt feeding and breeding patterns, and sometimes can even force the relocation of wildlife. (Ibid., 107)
HOTEL AND RESORT DEVELOPMENT
Hotel facilities could conflict with native environment and architecture and cause architectural pollution. Resort development is setting away locals from the resort area, and that brings probably the most serious effect of resort development which is traffic congestion.
BEACHES
The construction of hotels and roads ruins beaches, causing severe environmental effects, such as coastal erosion, which in turn induces more environmental. People causing damage to the beaches by littering and scaring away birds.
GREEN HOUSE EFFECT
Air travel itself is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect. Passenger jets are the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions. The number of international travelers is expected to increase from 594 million in 1996 to 1.6 billion by 2020, adding greatly to the problem unless steps are taken to reduce emissions. (Source: WWF)
CONCLUSION
It would be necessary to control as possible new construction in areas that wildlife is vulnerable and the plants, trees at risk. Destinations around the world are based on natural environment to attract visitors, so they should be focused to protect it and make sure that they can still make a living from it.
People should be able to identify environmental problems, boost their efforts and activities to protect the environment and maintain to preserve it. Recources are not unlimited we should use them in a wise way.
Tourism planning, regulation and registration always have to be considered in order to protect the environment. Education on sustainability would help to minimize the damage that people are causing. Good idea would be schools to start sustainability lessons. How can people start being aware and prevent to cause big damages to the environment if they were not informed and know on which things to avoid doing?
If being a member in an organization like WTTC become a trend then our planet could finally take a breath. Now days ecotourism has been prescribed as a solution to tourism development for all the cases. Ecotourism focuses on volunteering, personal growth and learning new ways to live on the planet, minimizes negative impacts and produce economic benefits for the locals.
Tourism affects the environment in any form. Even when people re trying to do green vacation, they may still have to fly and use cars or taxis to get to their location. But even if this is a drop in the ocean doesn't matter drop by drop can be effective. We should all try at least to do holidays in a ‘green’ way and be a part of environments protection. We can globally decrease the negative environmental effects before its too late.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
WCPA Sustainable tourism in protected areas guidelines for planning and management (Paul F. Eagles, Stephen f. McCool and Christopher D. Haynes, Adrian Phillips)
Environmental implications of the Tourism Industry, Terry Davies, Sarah Cahill
Mathieson & Wall, 1982
Ibid
Tourism and Trade, Stephanie Thullen
Toumazatos Notes
http://pl376te.blogspot.com/2007/03/wk-10-negative-effects-of-tourism-on.html
