Final Period Topics for Macro Perspective of Tourism and Hospitality Industries

Social and Cultural Effects impact

Tourism may have different effects on the social and cultural aspects of life in a particular
region depending on the strengths of the region. The effect can be positive or negative.

Positive Impact:
 To boost huge tourism money is invested in preserving the local heritage, in improving
infrastructure, in providing better local facilities which in turn creates better education,
better leisure facilities, organizing frequent social events and thus a better lifestyle for
the local people.
 They interact with the tourists, mix with people from diverse backgrounds, which
creates a cosmopolitan culture in the region.
 Due to the demand for better services, varied employment opportunities have created
within the region, and therefore, people do not feel the need to migrate to other cities
to earn their living.

Negative Impact:
 Due to the heavy traffic in the region, the infrastructure may not be able to cope up the
increased rush thus leading to overcrowding, poor sanitation which may further lead to
diseases bot to the tourists as well as local people.
 The intrusion of outsiders in the area may disturb the local culture and create unrest
among the people.
 The local people may copy the lifestyles of tourists through the demonstration effect,
and the result could be the loss of native customs and traditions.
 Some people may enter into criminal activities to fetch easy money from tourists, which
leads to increased crime and anti-social activities and loss of moral and religious values.

What is the cultural impact of tourism?

The social and cultural impacts of tourism can result in changes to patterns of behaviour,
lifestyle and the quality of life of the inhabitants or local people.

Tourism, like all business ventures, can have an impact on communities and may be positive or
negative, and sometimes both.

What are the positive and negative socio-cultural impacts of tourism?

NEGATIVE SOCIO-CULTURAL IMPACTS OF TOURISM

 Irritation due to tourist behaviour.

  Tourists often, out of ignorance or carelessness, fail to respect local customs and moral
values.

The impact of tourism on the environment is both positive and negative.

Positive Impact:
 In order to attract more tourism, particular emphasis has given on overall beautification
of the surroundings, regular planting of trees and landscaping are done to enhance
aesthetics.
 Massive investment is made to improve the facilities in the area like sitting areas,
shades, proper sanitation, drinking water so on.
 More emphasis is given to preserve the monuments, heritage structures to attract more
tourists.

Negative Impact:
 Any development requires some interference with nature. Overdevelopment comes at
the cost of nature.
 There may be damage to the natural flora and fauna.
 Local people have displaced for want of coastal area development.
 With more people in the area, more natural resources may require, which leads to the
depletion of natural resources.
 Waste disposal problems crop up, and without proper measures to handle this problem,
it may worsen the situation.
 Due to more footfall, more transport, more noise, improper waste disposal, pollution
increases in the area and disturbs the ecological balance of the region.-

What are the positive environmental impacts of tourism?

 It can put enormous pressure on an area and lead to impacts such as soil
erosion, increased pollution, discharges into the sea, natural habitat
loss increased pressure on endangered species and heightened vulnerability to forest
fires.

What are the negative impacts of tourism?

 Tourism puts enormous stress on local land use and can lead to soil erosion,
increased pollution, natural habitat loss, and more pressure on endangered species.
 These effects can gradually destroy the environmental resources on which tourism itself
depends.

Economic Impact
  The tourism industry has contributed to the economic growth of a country through
factors like industrialization, education, advanced technology, higher number of
qualified professionals, opening up of foreign markets, liberal trade policies and better
advertising and strategic marketing. The above factors collectively boost the economic
reserves of the region, thus leading to a rise in income and better disposable income.
 Tourism can also benefit economies at regional and local levels, as money comes into
urban and rural areas, which in turn stimulates new business enterprises, higher
markets and promotes a more positive image of the area.
 The income generated helps the national balance of payments, earning revenue through
direct taxation, as well as from indirect taxes on goods and services purchased by the
tourists.

Economic Impacts of Tourism

 Tourism supports job creation in the tourism destination
 Tourism related activities generates income in a community

Economic impact analyses provide tangible estimates of these economic interdependencies and
a better understanding of the role and importance of tourism in a region’s economy.

An economic impact analysis will assess the contribution of tourism activity to a region’s
economy. The basic questions an economic impact study usually addresses are:
• How much do tourists spend in the area?
• What portion of sales by local businesses is due to tourism?
• How much income does tourism generate for households and businesses in the area?
• How many jobs in the area does tourism support?
• How much tax revenue is generated from tourism?
Source: Economic Impact of Tourism by Daniel J. Stynes

Positive and negative economic impacts of tourism.

 Tourism provides the economic stimulus to allow for diversification of employment and
income potential and develop resources within the community.
 Improvements in infrastructure and services can benefit both locals and tourists.

What are the positive effects of tourism on the economy?

 Although the economic impacts of tourism development are usually held to

balance tourism economic benefits, however, negative economic impacts are also
apparent and significant which cannot be ignored, particularly, a likely increase in
demand for imported goods once tourists begin to appear, revenue leakages out

Political effects

Whereas the virtues of international tourism have been extolled as a significant force for peace
and understanding between nations, the reality is often far removed from his perfect image.

 Long-haul travel between developed and developing countries is increasing annually

and is bringing them into direct contact with each other.
 People come from widely different background and with every contrasting lifestyles and
level of income.
 Where these disparities are very high, the political, as well as the socio-cultural
consequences, may be severe.
What is the environmental impact of tourism?

 It involves many activities that can have adverse environmental effects. Many of these
impacts are linked with the construction of general infrastructures such as roads and
airports, and of tourism facilities, including resorts, hotels, restaurants, shops, golf
courses and marinas.

How does tourism benefit the environment?

 Improved environmental management and planning.

Sound environmental management of tourism facilities and especially hotels can
increase the benefits to natural areas. ... Cleaner production techniques can be
important tools for planning and operating tourism facilities in a way that minimizes
their environmental impacts.

What is the socio-cultural impact of tourism?

 The socio-cultural impacts of conventional tourism described here, are the effects on
host communities of direct and indirect relations with tourists and of interaction with
the tourism industry.
 The impacts arise when tourism brings about changes in value systems and behaviour,
thereby threatening indigenous identity.

How can the negative effects of tourism on the economy be reduced?

How to reduce the negative impact of tourism?

 Despite, the importance of tourism from its positive impact is always on

the economic aspect. On the other hand, there is also greater concerns on the negative
impact of tourism.
 Negative impacts can be reduced or avoided by effective use and implementation

What are the disadvantages of tourism?

The Disadvantages of Tourism. Environmental Tourism can often cause environmental damage
with risks like:

1. erosion,
2. pollution,
3. the loss of natural habitats, and
4. forest fires.
5. Reefs and other natural tourist attractions can suffer permanent damage

How does tourism impact the economy?

  Tourists contribute to sales, profits, jobs, tax revenues, and income in an area.
 Through secondary effects, tourism affects most sectors of the economy.

Economic impact analysis of tourism activity normally focuses on changes in sales, income, and
employment in a region resulting from tourism activity.

Strategies that can be used to minimise the negative environmental impacts of tourism whilst
maximising the positive impacts, what you can do to help:

As for the simple problem of people disrespecting the local land and destroying the fragile
environment, just make sure that you read the signs, don’t cross the barriers, don’t “do it for
the gram”, and just be a respectful human! That’s an easy one.

Before you visit your destination, research what the current environmental crisis is and do your
very best to avoid contributing to it.

For example, Maldives’ land is constantly being destroyed for various reasons, so when you
visit, it’s wise not to contribute to any further degradation and to avoid all palm oil all together
(and in your life back home too).

Growth, on its own, is not enough. Destinations and their stakeholders are responsible for
ensuring that growth is well-managed; that benefits are maximized; and that any negative
externalities are minimized.

This requires a continuous process of planning and management that evolves and that can be
measured over time

It really is tough to avoid the overall destruction, especially considering travel isn’t overly kind
to the planet, but by simply supporting the local businesses and organisations, obeying the
signs, and staying off the beaten track a bit, that will do a whole world of good.

The following strategies can be used to minimize the negative impacts on the environment
(tourism) while simultaneously increasing the positive impacts:

 Ensuring product and service diversification will increase the number of activities that
tourists can engage in when they visit.
 Always look for locally owned hotels that are environmentally conscious! Support the
accommodations that are sustainable, eco-friendly, and who care for the environment
rather than contributing to the destruction.
Note:

Tourism can be great in that it can educate the wider world about a particular area, such as the
Arctic or the Amazon rainforest.

Tourism can bring money into an area and give the people who live there an incentive to
protect a natural treasure or a priceless artifact which they may otherwise be tempted to
destroy in the name of progress.

 Creating awareness of sustainable transport

 Making public transport green, efficient, and accessible
 Reduction and elimination of carbon emissions in public transport
 Security and attractive in public spaces
 Smart, green logistics in tourist destinations
 Sustainable transport for residents and tourists

The tourist is at the end of the supply chain, but there are a lot of pieces that come in before
that, but focusing on the behaviour of local citizens and the businesses that supply the tourism
industry they are taking a more holistic approach – this should stand them in good stead and
allow them to learn a lot from the different projects.

Islands have a lot to lose or gain by adopting greener and smarter mobility strategies. If they do
nothing and destroy their local environment then it is likely that tourist numbers will fall, but if
they take the lead and make big changes then they will protecting the environment, this should
have a positive impact on tourist numbers and deliver growth to the local economy.

http://www.theibmc.com/learning-resources.html

The 10 trends impacting the tourism and hospitality industries

1. Catering to millennials

 Millennials (those ages 18-34) are expected to represent 50% of all travelers to the USA
by 2025, according to the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research.
 Companies need to define their strategies based on this demographic group’s
personality traits and habits
 Millenials they travel a lot; are early adopters of technology; like personalized
interactions and are spontaneous.
 Tourim Related Establishments (TREs) will want to please them with easy check-in and
unique experiences at reasonable prices.
 In return, satisfied millennials will actively promote their businesses on social media
channels.
2. Tech explosion

 The majority of guests today are self-sufficient, tech-savvy travelers who are
comfortable using apps or mobile websites.
 TREs need to make sure their offerings are up-to-date and user-friendly.
 At business meetings and conferences, travelers expect hotels and conference centers
to have high quality tech equipment and a knowledgeable support staff.

3. Influx of international visitors

 International leisure travel is on the rise—Dubai International Airport has become the
busiest airport in the world.
 TREs must be able to provide services in a multitude of languages, and tailored
experiences properly suited to the culture and unique needs of their international
visitors.

2018 Update
U.S. Travel Association has warned that the U.S. is not keeping pace with global long-haul travel
expansion. In the United States, international inbound travel is expected to continue to grow at
a rate of 2.2 percent while the same traffic worldwide is estimated at 6 percent.

4. Increased emphasis on health and well-being

 Guests today are taking charge of their health; hotels are responding with well-
equipped fitness centers, pools and spas.
 Increasingly, travelers are expecting innovative wellness options.
 In addition to healthy food options, growing trends include lighting that energizes, air
purification, yoga spaces, in-room exercise equipment and even vitamin-infused shower
water.

2018 Update
Wellness tourism is estimated as a $563 billion industry. From MGM Resorts and Wyndham
Hotels and Resorts’ Stay Well rooms to Pullman’s focus on sleep, food, sport and spa, and
Hilton’s Five Fee to Fitness program that puts the capability of a gym in the guest room, the
hospitality industry has made it easier to stay healthy on the road.

5. Need for seamless technology

 Seamless connectivity across platforms and devices is growing more important.

 Many hotel groups are offering mobile check-in and digital concierge services. At Aria
Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, guests are issued high-tech cards that detect their
presence and unlock the door before they even reach it.
2018 Update
Everything is smart these days. Smart rooms, smart badges and smart phones are all connected
to share information and make getting what you want when you want it easier than ever. Look
for facial recognition to unlock clickless access to just about everything.

6. Sustainability rules

 Eco-friendly practices are becoming the norm, as properties focus on renewable energy
resources and water scarcity.
 Many hotels are installing solar panels and updating systems so that air conditioners
and lights automatically switch off when guests leave their rooms.

2018 Update
Considering the environmental impact of everything from plastic straws to leftovers has
become an essential part of an event professional’s job. Venues are making it easier than ever
to track food chains, reduce waste and minimize greenhouse gas footprints.

7. New roles for staff

 Many travelers seem to prefer technology to human beings—they want to check-in

digitally and don’t mind if a robot delivers room service.
 This will give staff the opportunity to focus on more personalized service, as opposed to
rote tasks.

2018 Update
A quick search for hospitality jobs includes the titles such as social media coordinator, creative
lead, events and experiences, audio-visual technician and yoga instructor. To qualify for these
more specific roles, many are opting to pursue industry certification.

8. Destination promotion

 The explosion of social media is causing hotels to become more involved in destination
and self-promotion.
 Many are featuring guests’ images and tweets on their websites; some are even using
the material in their advertising campaigns.

2018 Update
The #Hotelfie, augmented reality ads and room service virtual reality goggles are now “things.”
Planners can visualize spaces in multiple destinations without leaving their computer.

9. Real-time damage control

 If a hotel guest is dissatisfied, he or she can easily complain on Facebook, Twitter, Yelp
or TripAdvisior. Hoteliers must be able to quickly respond.
  Engaging with customers and responding to their needs through these public forums
help maintain positive guest relations and drive future bookings.

2018 Update
The world witnessed TanaCon in real time when 20,000 people showed up for a YouTuber’s
event at a venue that holds 5,000, leaving thousands sweltering in the Southern California sun.

10. Unique perks

 With so many brands to choose from, properties need to find a way to stand out.
 Some are offering free daily wine tastings in their lobbies or bars; some are
incorporating sophisticated informational screens in bathroom mirrors; and others are
giving away curated set lists of downloadable music.

2018 Update
This is the year of the public living room as hospitality properties scramble to create
comfortable spaces for informal gatherings in lobbies, restaurants and entries.

https://www.smartmeetings.com/tips-tools/technology/74256/top-10-trends-impacting-
hospitality-industry

THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL AND TOURISM

TRAVEL TRENDS AND PREDICTIONS

1. THE EXPERIENCE ECONOMY

 Tourism has changed from being a service industry offering you a flight, a room and
some food to offering experiences. This trend was famously observed by Gilmore and
Pine in their book ‘The Experience economy’.
 Travel is now more about rejuvenation, adventure, fulfilment, learning new skills and
‘being more of who you are’ than just ticking off places and things and flopping in the
sun.
 This represents a big challenge for legacy tour operators and online travel agents
offering flight and hotel packages and all-inclusive resorts.
 The family who was satisfied with this 10 years ago now wants to go mountain
biking or whale watching.
 By ‘experience’ we often mean access to other people’s cultures, ways of life, food and
environments.
 This trend explains why Airbnb is keen to try to position itself as about ‘belonging’ and
experiencing a place ‘like a local’.
 In the luxury sector we see wealthy people who are more likely to spend money on
experiences than objects – jewellery, watches etc.
  This is a further demonstration of the experience economy and there is a sense that
people value memories more than some physical possessions.

2. OVERTOURISM

 For decades most tourism destinations have tried to attract as many tourists as possible,
without any thought that there could be limits beyond which local people’s lives and
tourists experiences start to suffer.
 Various tourism hotspots are now experiencing what has become known as
‘overtourism.’
 The lesson here is that tourism is no panacea; it always brings negative impacts as well
as positive ones.
 With global tourist numbers set to accelerate at an even faster rate ‘overtourism’ will
become a bigger and bigger issue.

 From now on efforts will be made to attract the ‘right type of tourist’ and where
necessary numbers controlled through reducing bed night capacity, charging for entry,
pre booking with fixed numbers, subsidising less flights, restricting cruise ship
numbers and promoting less well known areas.
 More often than not the ‘right type’ of tourist will be the responsible tourist – creating
the maximum benefit to local economies with the least possible social and
environmental impact.
3. THE INDUSTRY'S OBSESSION WITH MARKETING ‘PARADISE’ WILL HAVE TO END

 One of the great marketing ideas developed and exploited by the tourism industry was
to encourage people to think they could leave all their troubles behind and escape to
'paradise'.
 The classic photo of the deserted white sandy beach, gently lapping waves and solitary
palm tree is a representation of paradise. A world before people.
 To sustain the myth that paradise exists on earth the industry decided not to reveal the
truth about many of these destinations. Although they are stunning beautiful, and you
will have a wonderful time, local people and environments face some serious challenges
around development and conservation.

How many brochures for holidays in developing countries even mention the word poverty?

 The industry felt it was better to hide these issues from tourists, as they might detract
from a sale, rather than present them as something that is real and give tourists some
ideas on how they can enjoy their holiday more and ensure its helps address these
problems.
 Some of the travel press colluded with the industry around this – partly because the
trips the journalists take are funded by the industry that wants to protect their paradise
construct, and partly because they – in my view mistakenly - thought tourists didn’t
want to be properly informed.
 By remaining in denial about this for so many decades the industry both failed to tell
tourists the whole truth (which they soon discovered when they arrived anyway) and it
limited the tourism industries commitment and ability to do much to help solve these
problems.

4. GLOBAL WARMING AND CO2 POLLUTION

 Aviation has been hammered in the press for more than a decade for its contribution to
global warming – but I think it will become even more of a pariah unless it starts to do
more to address this.
 We live in a world where the majority of some countries energy needs come
from renewable sources and where it’s thought that in 5-10 years time 80% of the
production of the world’s cars will be electric.
 All of the cars sold in India in 2030 will be electric.
 This has required massive investment. And yet we still have no cleaner, greener
alternative to aviation fuel – kerosene.
 The industries efforts have focused on some efficiencies – which more than get wiped
out by the growth in number of flights – and carbon offsets.
  Efforts and investments made in seeking renewable aviation fuels are small – certainly
compared to what we’ve seen in renewable energy and electric cars - and is in fact
decreasing.
 This is even more galling as aviation fuel is heavy subsided – it’s the only untaxed fuel in
the world. Experts estimate that the subsidy is as big as £10bn.
 With these heavy subsides in place the aviation industry must invest more in finding
solutions to reduce global warming. If it doesn’t then taxes will inevitably follow – and
the price of flying will rise.
 If there is little creativity from the airline sector then we do see some innovation from
others that could transform domestic travel, in addition to high speed trains
the hyperloop is one of the most exciting.

5. CAN THE INDUSTRY COUNTER A GROWING FEAR OF STRANGERS?

 Perhaps the travel industries greatest achievement over the past 70 years has been
about how it brings together strangers – local people and travellers – harmoniously (at
least mostly).
 However in some parts of the world there seems to be growing fear of people different
to ourselves, including refugees and immigrants and people with different religious
beliefs.
 Restrictions of freedom of movement represents some of the biggest challenges to our
industry.

Source: www.responsibletourism.com
Sustainable tourism
What is sustainable tourism?
According to the World Tourism Organization, sustainable tourism is “Tourism that takes full
account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the
needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities"[1]

Thus, sustainable tourism should:

1) Make optimal use of environmental resources that constitute a key element in tourism
development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural
heritage and biodiversity.
2) Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve their built and living
cultural heritage and traditional values, and contribute to inter-cultural understanding and
tolerance.
3) Ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socio-economic benefits to all
stakeholders that are fairly distributed, including stable employment and income-earning
opportunities and social services to host communities, and contributing to poverty alleviation.

Sustainable tourism development requires the informed participation of all relevant

stakeholders, as well as strong political leadership to ensure wide participation and consensus
building. Achieving sustainable tourism is a continuous process and it requires constant
monitoring of impacts, introducing the necessary preventive and/or corrective measures
whenever necessary.

Sustainable tourism should also maintain a high level of tourist satisfaction and ensure a
meaningful experience to the tourists, raising their awareness about sustainability issues and
promoting sustainable tourism practices amongst them.

The twelve main goals for sustainable tourism laid out in 2005 by the World Tourism
Organization and the United Nations Environment Program are as follows[2]:

1. Economic Viability: To ensure the viability and competitiveness of tourism destinations

and enterprises, so that they are able to continue to prosper and deliver benefits in the
long term.
2. Local Prosperity: To maximize the contribution of tourism to the economic prosperity of
the host destination, including the proportion of visitor spending that is retained locally.
3. Employment Quality: To strengthen the number and quality of local jobs created and
supported by tourism, including the level of pay, conditions of service and availability to
all without discrimination by gender, race, disability or in other ways.
4. Social Equity: To seek a widespread and fair distribution of economic and social benefits
from tourism throughout the recipient community, including improving opportunities,
income and services available to the poor.
5. Visitor Fulfillment: To provide a safe, satisfying and fulfilling experience for visitors,
available to all without discrimination by gender, race, disability or in other ways.
 6. Local Control: To engage and empower local communities in planning and decision
making about the management and future development of tourism in their area, in
consultation with other stakeholders.
7. Community Wellbeing: To maintain and strengthen the quality of life in local
communities, including social structures and access to resources, amenities and life
support systems, avoiding any form of social degradation or exploitation
8. Cultural Richness: To respect and enhance the historic heritage, authentic culture,
traditions and distinctiveness of host communities
9. Physical Integrity: To maintain and enhance the quality of landscapes, both urban and
rural, and avoid the physical and visual degradation of the environment
10. Biological Diversity: To support the conservation of natural areas, habitats and wildlife,
and minimize damage to them
11. Resource Efficiency: To minimize the use of scarce and non-renewable resources in the
development and operation of tourism facilities and services
12. Environmental Purity: To minimize the pollution of air, water and land and the
generation of waste by tourism enterprises and visitors.

[1] Making Tourism More Sustainable - A Guide for Policy Makers, UNEP and UNWTO, 2005, p.11-12
http://www.unep.fr/shared/publications/pdf/DTIx0592xPA-TourismPolicyEN.pdf
[2] Ibid.

Except the term sustainable tourism there are two other types of tourism that are also focused
on creating a tourism in harmony with environment and social-cultural aspects:

 Responsible tourism - sustainable tourism is often also referred as responsible tourism,

which has been adopted as a term used by industry who feel that word sustainability is
overused and not understood. Responsible tourism is any form of tourism that can be
consumed in a more responsible way. Responsible tourism puts more emphasis on the
responsibility of tourism industry through generating greater economic benefits for local
people and enhancing the well-being of host communities, improving working
conditions, involving local people in decisions that affect their lives and life chances,
making positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage,
providing access for physically challenged people and encouraging respect between
tourists and hosts. It also strives to minimize negative social, economic and
environmental impacts. According to its definition Responsible Tourism is about making
“better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit”: in that order.
 Ecotourism – According to the International Ecotourism Society (TIES), ecotourism is
defined as: "Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains
the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education"
 Ecotourism should provide direct financial benefits for conservation and local people
and is focused on the conservation of natural resources.
Why it is important?
On one hand, tourism wields tremendous economic positive outcomes: it is one of the world’s
most significant sources of economic outcomes and employment. However, tourism is a very
complex industry involving numerous stakeholders (sometimes with opposite interests) and
requiring significant amount of resources. As such, tourism can have very opposite effects
according to the way activities are managed. Managed well, tourism can play a positive role in
the socio, cultural, economical, environmental and political development of the destination and
as such represents a significant development opportunity for many countries and communities.
On the contrary, unchecked tourism development can lead to very damageable impacts
impacts on natural resources, consumption patterns, pollution and social systems. The need for
sustainable planning and management is imperative for the industry to survive as a whole.

Tourism impacts
Environmental Impacts
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.
Tourism development can put enormous pressure on an area and lead to impacts such as soil
erosion, increased pollution, discharges into the sea, natural habitat loss, increased pressure on
endangered species and heightened vulnerability to forest fires. It often puts a strain on water
resources, and it can force local populations to compete for the use of critical resources.

Socio-Cultural Impacts
The socio-cultural impacts of tourism described here are the effects on host communities of
direct and indirect relations with tourists, and of interaction with the tourism industry. For a
variety of reasons, host communities often are the weaker party in interactions with their
guests and service providers, leveraging any influence they might have. These influences are
not always apparent, as they are difficult to measure, depend on value judgments and are often
indirect or hard to identify.
The impacts arise when tourism brings about changes in value systems and behaviour and
thereby threatens indigenous identity. Furthermore, changes often occur in community
structure, family relationships, collective traditional life styles, ceremonies and morality. But
tourism can also generate positive impacts as it can serve as a supportive force for peace, foster
pride in cultural traditions and help avoid urban relocation by creating local jobs. As often
happens when different cultures meet, socio-cultural impacts are ambiguous: the same
objectively described impacts are seen as beneficial by some groups, and are perceived as
negative - or as having negative aspects - by other stakeholders.

Economic Impacts of Tourism

The tourism industry generates substantial economic benefits to both host countries and
tourists' home countries. Especially in developing countries, one of the primary motivations for
a region to promote itself as a tourism destination is the expected economic improvement.
As with other impacts, this massive economic development brings along both positive and
negative consequences.

How can we measure sustainable tourism?

While sustainable tourism has many positive goals, there must be a concrete measurement
system that enables the business to determine their progress towards sustainability. In order
to measure results and progress, benchmarks are used. Benchmarking is “the comparison of a
business’s performance in a given area (such as water consumption) with those of a similar
business.”[1] Benchmarking does not only put a business’s activities in perspective with that of
its competitors, but also contributes to many positive internal improvements.

For example, in tourism sector, commonly used benchmarks are:

 Electricity and energy consumption in kilowatt hours (kWh) per square meter of
serviced space
 Fresh water consumption in liters or cubic meters (m3) per guest per night
 Waste production (kg per guest per night and/or liters per guest per night)

With these benchmarking categories, achieving sustainability in the tourism industry is not just
a rhetorical goal; it is tangible, providing measurable benefits and potential economic savings to
those businesses who strive for improvement in their daily performance.
By beginning to benchmark activities, businesses can engage in sustainable development while
simultaneously reaping the tangible and economic benefits of internal improvements.

[1] Defra
The big picture

Environmentally sustainable practices

 Over three-quarters of businesses (77%) currently have practices in place to

reduce the impact their business has on the environment. Australasian and North
American businesses are the most likely to have eco-friendly practices in place (both 84%
vs. 77% overall), which falls to 73% among European properties.
 The EU tourism industry generates almost 3,7% of the EU GDP[1], with about 1,8
million enterprises employing around 5% of the total labour force (approximately 11,3
million jobs). When related sectors are taken into account, the estimated contribution of
tourism to GDP creation is much higher; tourism indirectly generates around 10% of the
EU's GDP and provides about 11% of the labour force.
 Tourism accounts for 5% of global carbon emissions: 4% is attributed to
transportation, close to 1% to the accommodation sector and a small amount to other
tourism activities. (Source: UNWTO/UNEP, Climate change and tourism, 2008)
 A tourist uses from 84 to 2,000 liters of water per day, depending on length of
stay, size and amenities in the hotel, type and amount of food consumed, and other
factors. (Gössling et al., 2012)
 Globally, the world’s 32,000-plus golf courses use an estimated 9.5 billion liters of
water per day to irrigate their greens. (Source: Gössling et al., 2012) An average golf
course in Spain uses as much water as a town of 12,000 people. (Source: Lucia de Stafano,
“Fresh Water and Tourism in the Mediterranean,” WWF, July 15, 2005)