The impact of tourism

Article by Materahub

The tourism industry, as part of the service sector, has become an important source of income for many regions and even for entire countries. The Manila Declaration on World Tourism of 1980 recognized its importance as “an activity essential to the life of nations because of its direct effects on the social, cultural, educational, and economic sectors of national societies, and on their international relations.” Therefore, sustainable tourism is the concept of visiting somewhere as a tourist and trying to make a positive impact on the environment, society, and economy. Without travel there is no tourism, so the concept of sustainable tourism is tightly linked to a concept of sustainable mobility.

Which is the impact of tourism?

The 72% of tourism’s CO2 emissions come from transportation, 24 percent from accommodations, and 4 percent from local activities. Aviation accounts for 55% of those transportation CO2emissions (or 40% of tourism’s total). However, when considering the impact of all greenhouse gas emissions, of condensation trails and induced cirrus clouds, aviation alone could account for up to 75% of tourism’s climate impact.  Tourism impacts can be grouped into three main categories: economic, social, and environmental. These impacts are analyzed using data gathered by businesses, governments, and industry organizations. Environmental impact regards the natural resources (water, forests, etc.), pollution (air pollution, noise, sewage, waste and littering), physical impacts (construction activities, marina development, trampling, loss of biodiversity). The environmental impacts of tourism can reach outside local areas and have an effect on the global ecosystem. One example is increased air travel, which is a major contributor to climate change. Tourism has direct, indirect and induced impacts on local economies, these can often be largely divergent between countries, based on the structure of the sector but most importantly on how well linked tourism activities are with the local economy. Tourism increases employment opportunities. Additional jobs, ranging from low-wage entry-level to high-paying professional positions in management and technical fields, generate income and raise standards of living.

The social and cultural ramifications of tourism warrant careful consideration, as impacts can either become assets or detriments to communities. Influxes of tourists bring diverse values to the community and influence behaviors and family life. The development of the Smart Tourism is based on 4 categories: Accessibility, Digitalisation, Sustainability, Creativity & Cultural heritage which helped them to improve their profile as a tourism destination. On of the well known Foundation for sustainable destination is Green Destination based on the GREEN VALUES: Genuine – Responsible – economically sustainable – Environment – Nature that will help destinations to enhance their quality, attractiveness and competitiveness and are the basis for destination awards and certifications.