The Reasons for the Increase in Global Tourism - Essay Example

due: Tourism is an important aspect necessary for the economic development of any country worldwide. Through tourism certain factors that make the economy of any given country progress in a positive direction are realised, and this benefits the individuals in a country as well as the government. According to the World Tourism Organization (2013), tourism is the activity of people “travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited” (p. 1). It is worth noting that global tourism is on the increase and has resulted in many economic benefits to the countries involved. This paper is therefore going to look at the increase in global tourism and the long-term effects of tourism on an emerging economy. Reasons for the increase in global tourism There are several reasons that have led to the massive increase in global tourism over the past few years, and Barnes (2008) has pointed out some of the reasons which we are going to look at. 1. Cheap air travel and package tours. Air travel being made cheap by several airline companies has encouraged many people to travel as tourists to the destinations of their choice. This is mainly because they can now afford to pay for their airfares, and this is contrary to what was happening in the past when air travel was mainly for the very rich in the society. Further encouraging the growth of global tourism is the introduction of very attractive package tours. For example, things such as discounts for certain periods of stay or in certain seasons have seen people take advantage of them. Similarly, countries which offer tourist destinations have lowered charges to a reasonable level, and this has had the effect of encouraging tourists to visit those destinations. Just like any other product or service with a lowered price attracts buyers in plenty, tourism also increases when the cost of travel, accommodation, and gate charges at various destinations are reduced. 2. Rising income Increasing income of the people in several places in the world has led to the growth in global tourism because these people can now afford the travel and other expenses related to tourism. Rising income is a factor that is attributed to the economic growth, and it means that people have money to spend, and may choose to spend it by touring places of their choice. People whose income has increased have extra money that they may use in leisure activities, with tourism being a leisure activity for those who can afford it. 3. Advent of internet Computers, the Internet and its associated technologies have made a lot of things easier including tourism. Efficiency, cost and time saving are some of the advantages brought about by this kind of technology, and this has had a tremendous impact on tourism. Booking flight is now done online by many people and has proved to be a very quick and effective method of booking. This is because it saves time and money and enables one to avoid the inconvenience involved in getting to a booking office. All is done at the comfort of the home. Also one can make hotel bookings in the destination country via the Internet, which bring costs and inconveniences down. For example, one makes an online booking in order to be guaranteed accommodation once he/she lands in the destination country. Via online bookings, one can also hire a travel car, do research on a particular country of destination to know about its offers and a whole lot of things, and this is done while seated at home or in the office. 4. Easy visa access According to World Tourism Council (WTC) and World Travel Tourism Council (WTTC) (2012), minimal steps towards visa facilitation can lead to huge economic benefits as a result of increased tourism demand and spending. When countries relax restrictions on visa issuance, then the effect is that people travel a lot and this takes place, and it has a positive impact on the tourism sector. It is quite obvious that people will not want to go through complex and sometimes irrelevant visa application procedures, and if an effort is made by the respective country to change the process to be simpler, people will find it easier to do and will be willing to travel to that country. 5. The media Gamesby (2013) indicates that the media have played a big role in increased global tourism. He says that many newspapers have a holiday section, and most TV channels show its audiences many holiday destinations of interest. This makes people want to travel as tourists to the places they find interesting and experience themselves what happens there instead of getting it from second parties. 6. Changes in labour laws Many developed countries require that employers pay its workers allowances which they can use for the purpose of tourism and other leisure activities. With an extra amount disposed, many people are then in a position to travel as tourist since money is no longer a limitation. Effects of tourism on emerging economies Being an economic activity, tourism has the capability of transforming the economy of a given country positively, thus lifting it and its people out of poverty. The improvement of global tourism is good news for the countries relying on it for foreign exchange and jobs (UN News Centre, 2013). Emerging economies are China, Russia, Brazil, India, Mexico, Indonesia and Turkey. Emerging economies therefore are countries with social or business activities that are growing rapidly and are in the process of industrialisation. WTTC points out that travel and tourism is the world’s major industry and that it contributes massively to the global GDP and employment. Advantages of global tourism 1. New jobs As a result of tourists travelling to emerging economies, jobs will automatically be created for the people in that country. This is because the tourists will need to be provided with goods, services and information that will make their stay in that country comfortable. All these will be provided by the inhabitants of that country. Increased job opportunities mean that people will live an improved life and that the economy of the whole country will be transformed for the better. 2. General development of the country Tourism is a means that the emerging economies have in the pursuit to earn much needed foreign exchange. When tourists visit a particular country, they spend money in that country, and this money can be used to improve that country’s infrastructure, social services, education, health sector and so on. 3. Globalisation Globalisation is the process aimed at a freer flow of trade and investment between countries resulting in the integration of the international economy (Ervin, 2008). In other words, globalisation means the process in which there is an unrestricted flow of information, products and culture worldwide. Globalisation enables people of a country to learn or know about what is happening in certain places in the world and use that information to their own advantage. 4. Cultural preservation A country that is a popular tourist destination would want to preserve its cultural aspects that tourists find interesting. This is so as to encourage more and more visitors to come. Cultural aspects include such things as food, festivals, music, fashion, and so on. Thus, it can be safely said that tourism in a way may lead to cultural preservation of a particular people. Disadvantages/ negative effects of global tourism 1. Environmental degradation Tourists visiting a particular destination might litter it. Game parks, beaches, deserts, and ski locations become destroyed as a result of frequent use. While tourists travel, they use airplanes and cars that pollute the environment by increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. It is said that tourism contributes 5-6% of all carbon emissions (Barnes, 2008), and this is a worrying trend that needs to be checked. 2. Cultural destruction The culture of an emerging economy may be destroyed as a result of the allure of the Western culture. People in that country may find the culture of the visitors more appealing or superior than theirs and thus might try to ape it. This will apparently lead to the loss of language, religion, fashion, social norms and so on. 3. Seasonal employment Seasonal employment has become commonplace because people are employed when it is the tourist peak season in a particular country. When the peak season comes to an end, the jobs are lost, and this means that the people there do not benefit as much. The nature of employment in this sector can be said to be contractual and not permanent. There are also claims that in some countries employees in this sector are poorly paid while the best jobs are given to foreigners (expatriates). 4. Development of illegal and destructive economic activities Not all tourists visit a particular country with good intentions. There is a term that has been coined, and this is ‘sex tourism,’ where tourists visit a country for the purposes of soliciting sexual favours from the locals. These tourists’ main intentions are to explore sexual fantasies in faraway lands, and because they have the money, they can do that. The effects of this are negative to the community, the spread of STDs HIV/AIDS included. Some tourists also act as transporters of banned drugs, and it is quite obvious what effect these drugs have on human beings. Other negative economic activities include prostitution and gambling. In summary, we realise that there is an increase in global tourism, and this has been made possible due to factors such as cheap air travel and relaxed visa requirements among others. The growth of global tourism has impacted emerging economies both positively and negatively. The benefits of global tourism can thus be gained if its negative aspects are checked. References Barnes,A. (2008, May 15). A New Itinerary. The Economist Magazine Ervin, J., and Smith, Z., (2008) Globalization. California: ABC-CLIO, Inc. Gamesby,R., (2012) The Global Growth of Tourism. [online] Available at: http://coolgeography.co.uk/GCSE/AQA/Tourism/Tourism%20growth/Tourism%20Growth.htm [Accessed: 8 May 2013]. UN News centre. 2013. Global Tourism Posts a Strong Recovery, says UN Agency. [online] Available at: http://www.un.org/apps/news/printnewsAr.asp?nid=37293 [Accessed: 8 May 2013]. World Tourism Council (WTC) and World Travel Tourism Council (WTTC). (2012) The Impact of Visa facilitation on Job creation in the G20 economies. [online] Available at: http://www.wttc.org/research/special-research/visa-facilitation/ [Accessed: 8 May 2013]. World Tourism Organization. (2013) Definition of tourism. [online] Available at: http://torc.linkbc.ca/torc/downs1/WTOdefinitiontourism.pdf [Accessed: 8 May 2013]. Read More