Impacts of Tourism in Singapore - Essay Example

OF THE OF ASSIGNMENT PRESENTED TO Table of Content. Pages Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….3 Economic Impacts………………………………………………………………..………..4 Environmental Impacts…………………………………………………………..…………7 Socio-Cultural Impacts……………………………………………………………………..9 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………10 Recommendations…………………………………………………………………….........11 Recommendations……………………………………………………………….................12 IMPACTS OF TOURISM IN SINGAPORE Introduction Singapore as a nation is experiencing mass tourism. The expansion of the tourism sector comes along with social, economic, cultural and environmental impacts. These impacts are both positive and negative. The positive impacts are developmental and are not a cause of concern. However, the negative impacts need to be identified and dealt with to avoid dire consequences. This paper examines the impacts of each of the impact in category. It looks at the positives and the negative of each category. It further gives recommendations on how the negative impact can be solved. Year Tourism Arrivals Percentage change from previous years 2005 8,943,029 7.4% 2006 9,751,141 9.0% 2007 10,284,545 5.5% 2008 10,116,054 -1.6% 2009 9,682,690 -4.3% 2010 11,641,700 20.2% 2011 13,171,303 13.1% Source: Singapore tourism board. (Alon 2006, p.68). The above chart shows the tourism trend in Singapore. In the last two years, Singapore has experienced a tremendous increase in the number of tourist arrivals. This can be attributed to the country hosting sports event and the change that the government has made to boost tourism. Economic impacts The diagram below shows the positive economic impacts of tourism to the tourism destination. (Alon 2006, p. 68). Singapore is a hub of tourism in the Asian region. It therefore, reaps economic benefits from the tourism sector. The direct effects of tourism are those resulting from the spending of the tourists. The tourists spend in transportation as they move from one attraction site to another. This injects money in the transport industry. The recreation facilities and entertainment sites are some of the consumable of the tourist (Alon 2006, p. 68). Foreign tourists pay higher rates than the local tourists. This leads to increase in income generated in these sites. The general spending of the tourists affects the tax revenues, salaries and other associate services. The indirect economic effects are those that result from stimulation of the direct effects of tourism. High numbers of tourists demand more supplies. Thus, as Singapore experiences an increase in tourist the production level of goods and services raises. This makes the business in the region to thrive. Singapore is one of the best places to make a business investment. This can be attributed partly to the indirect effect of tourism (Liu, 2006). The other economic impact of tourism is the one that results from the spending if the local people. The people working in the tourism industry earn wages and salaries. Singapore has experienced an increase in the job opportunities as a result of tourism. This reduces the level of unemployment and raises the standards of living of the people. The spending of the local people also rises, increasing the money circulation in the economy (Liu, 2006). Tourism has negative economic impact in Singapore. There have been efforts by the government to invest in tourism. The tourism landscape has gradually changed from the authentic, traditional orientation to a modern approach. The tourist sites have had to be modified to meet the appeal of the tourist (Alon 2006, p. 68). The government has therefore, made significant financial investment in the industry. This has led to an increase in taxes. The locals bear the burden of heavy taxes that that cover tourism related cost incurred by the government. The country also experience leakages. This is because some of the hotels that cater for the tourist are not locally owned. Therefore, the profits from these businesses do not circulate within the country. The large international tourism companies enjoy economies of scale. They are able to offer services at fairer prices than local suppliers. The local suppliers get overlooked and lose out on business. The tourism industry is seasonal. This means that the people working in this sector suffer during the low season. Singapore as a country has a high population of people employed in this sector. In case of a recession causing a decline in the tourism industry, the country would suffer massive unemployment. Singapore has not set a minimum wage policy for the employees. This has led to people working in the tourism industry getting low wages and working for long hours. The economic benefit of tourism thus majorly benefits the rich business owners (Liu, 2006). In Singapore, the influx of tourist pushes the prices of commodities up. During the tourism peak season, the number of tourist is high. This leads to an increased demand, as a result, the prices raise. The local people get affected as they have to pay higher prices for their day to day basic needs. The prices of housing also rise, as accommodation is in demand. Further, the cost of property in the areas near the tourist attractions is exorbitant and, the local people cannot afford. In conclusion, the local people bear the economic negatives of tourism (Liu, 2006). Environmental impacts Tourism has both positive and negative impacts on the environment. Singapore is a tourist center experiences the merits and demerits of tourist. It is essential to examine the how tourism affects the natural and physical aspect of the country. Tourism as an industry earns foreign exchange to the nation (Newsome et Al 2007, p. 169). This increase the revenue of the government, thus; the government can be able to invest in the environment. The major benefit that tourism has on the environment is it makes funds for sustaining the environment. The positive impacts of tourism are of little concern. The negative impacts that tourism has on the environment are the ones that require attention. Environment is a resource and, as human beings, we are to preserve it for future generations. Tourism increase in Singapore has led to an increase in mobility. This means an increase in air travel as it is the main way to access Singapore. This air travels increases the emission of carbon dioxide gas in the air. The gas causes pollution which has serious side effects on the health of human beings. Noise pollution is also an issue of concern. As the number, of tourist swell the number of automobiles increase. Further, the entertainment levels within the region go up. Entertainments involve loud music, which causes noise pollution. Noise causes annoyance and can lead to the loss of hearing ability (Newsome et Al 2007, p. 169). In the wilderness, it cause stress to the wildlife and make them change their natural patterns. The tourists use a large quantity of water. Their consumption rate is higher than that of daily use for an ordinary household. The water requirement in the hotels hosting tourist is high. The hotels require water for swimming pools, personal use and golf courses. Fresh water is a vital resource and its overuse can lead to a shortage. Another negative impact of tourism is the degradation of land. Construction of infrastructure, hotels and recreational facilities lead to a strain on land. Singapore is an Island and has a small land cover. Thus, the country has to reclaim land from the sea in order to accommodate the increase in tourist (Wong, 2008). The reclaiming of land from the seas affects the physical environment negatively. This will cause a change in the coastline of the region. In addition, the natural course of the currents changes. The tourism industry generates a lot of solid waste. The sewage causes pollution especially when they leak to the water sources. In general, development of the tourism industry places a strain on the natural environment. It causes overexploitation of both renewable and non-renewable resources and pollution of environment. Socio-cultural impacts The impacts of tourism will be incomplete without considering the socio-cultural aspect. The cultures of people differ from place to place. The differences show in the way of the people speak, dress and general perception towards life. Tourism leads to an interaction of people in Singapore and people from other parts of the world. In this process, the culture and traditions of the local people get influenced. The local people feel the socio-cultural difference. Tourism has positive impacts on the social life of the local. They get an opportunity to interact with people from other regions in the world. This enlightens then and widens their world perspective (Woodside et Al 2009, p. 235). They enjoy entertainments along with the tourists. The local people get a sense of belonging and pride for their culture, which attracts tourists. This boosts the esteem of the people, and they develop a positive image about themselves. Tourism has negative effects on the social structure and beliefs of the local people. It leads to commercialization of traditional events. This disadvantages the locals as they have to pay a fee in order to participate. Tourism leads to cultural misunderstanding the tourist sometimes misinterpret the local cultural elements. Tourism leads to moral decay, which results to sex tourism and rampart prostitution. In addition, the crime levels increase (Liu, 2006). Conclusion Singapore is a hub of tourism. It offers an exceptional combination of traditional heritage and modern lifestyle. The tourism sector is expanding fast. This growth will increase even further. This is because Singapore is making new investments in the tourism industry. According to Liu in the face of this expansion it is paramount to examine the positive and negative impacts that tourism will make to the country. The above discussion is a critical analysis of economic, environmental and socio-cultural impacts of tourism in Singapore. The positive impacts are to be embraced. The negative impacts have far reaching implications and need to be mitigated. The economy of Singapore largely relies on tourism. Thus, the industry has to be made sustainable and environmental friendly. Recommendations Singapore as a tourist destination should have policies against commercial sex and public indecency. There should be a code of conduct read to the tourist on expected behavior while in the tourism sites. This will help to control littering on the attraction sites. The country should have programs to conserve natural attraction sites, the habitats, and the cultural aspects of the society. This program will aim at conserving the environment for future generation and sustainability of tourism (Wong et Al 2008, p. 34). Funds should be collected to finance the tourism management programs. This can be set in the tourists facilities where as they visit they make a donation to assist in conservation of tourist sites. Waste management, water conservation and pollution control programs and policies, should be put in place and implemented (Wong et Al 2008, p. 34). The above measure will ensure control of the negatives associated with tourism in Singapore. References Newsome, D., Dowling, R., & Moore, S. (2007). Natural area tourism: ecology, impacts and management. Clevedon [u.a.], Channel View Publications. Wong, T.C, Yuen, B. K. , & Goldblum, C. (2008). Spatial planning for a sustainable Singapore. New York, Springer. Alon, I. (2006). Service franchising a global perspective. New York, Springer Science Business Media. Http. Liu, T. V. (2006). Tourism management: new research. New York, Nova Science Publishers. Woodside, A. G., & Martin, D. (2007).Tourism management: analysis, behaviour, and strategy. Wallingford, Oxfordshire, CABI Pub. Read More