Benefits for Countries with Tourism-Dependent Economies Outweigh the Negative Effects - Coursework Example

Benefits For Countries With Tourism-Dependent Economies Outweigh the Negative Effects College: Introduction Tourism refers to travelling for recreational, leisure or business purposes, an activity that provides tourists with an opportunity to relax, perform official duties or other various activities. It is a rapidly growing economic industry that is arising at an average rate of 10%-15% annually worldwide (Dwyer and Forsyth, 2006, p.149). Tourisms play a key role the host country with studies showing that tourism is a big boon for many countries’ economies. However, some countries’ economies have ended up being completely tourism-dependent. A tourism-dependent economy refers to an economy of a country that is mainly supported by tourism activities or in general terms, tourism is the main economic activity (Dwyer and Forsyth, 2006, p.149). This essay will argue that benefits accrued in countries with tourism-dependent economies highly outweigh the negative effects. It will prove the above statement by focusing on the economic, cultural, social, and environmental effects of tourism on tourist-dependent economies. Economic benefits To start with, the primary benefit of tourism is the economic gains made from the business to the locals and to the country at large. In some regions like Africa particularly in the Sub-Saharan region, tourism has been found to be a major source of revenues for the GDP of the countries in the area. Recent studies have shown that a 10% growth in tourism in some of the countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa leads to a 0.4% increase in GDP per capita income. This is prompted by the fact that tourism creates ample job opportunities (either directly or indirectly) that enables local communities to support themselves and their families (Robinson, Heitmann & Dieke, 2011, p.63). Some of people work as tour guides and in the transport industry with others working in hotels and lodgings facilities just to mention a few. According to a study that was conducted in the West Africa, an area where up to 75% of the world’s poor live in rural areas, tourism offers the locals tremendous economic opportunities since a number of the area residents work or sell products to the tourists who visit their ranges. Selling traditional products was found to be the most practical idea because tourists always look for souvenirs and products that relate to traditional activities. Therefore, it is clear that tourism creates employment either directly or indirectly, stimulates profitable local industries, hotels and other lodging facilities, guide services, restaurants and food services, transportation systems, and handicrafts. Other economic benefits enjoyed by countries where tourism is the back bone of the economy include generation of foreign exchange and injection of capital and new money into the local economy also known as foreign direct investment (FDI) as well as improvement of road infrastructure since this is one of the factor that attracts tourists (Shareef, Hoti and McAleer, 2008, p.104). However, some sources oppose the idea that depending heavily on tourism leads to economic gains. Most of the sources claim that the jobs created in a tourism-driven economy are usually lowly paid and unskilled though they make up a significant step in improving the economic condition of the locals. Other studies indicate that the higher demand resulting from tourism activities increases the price of land, housing and a range of commodities necessary for daily life and that demands on health service provision and police services can increase during the tourist seasons at the expense of the local tax base. In addition, persons opposing that benefits for countries with tourism-dependent economies outweigh the negative effects argue that tourism is an extremely vulnerable and fragile industry that can collapse overnight due to political, economic, social changes, as well as security instability in the host countries (Travis, 2011, p.49). Therefore they term the industry as highly unreliable. Nonetheless, it is obvious that the economic counter arguments raised are by far much weaker and baseless compared to the solid economic points raised supporting that benefits for countries with tourism-dependent economies outweigh the negative effects. Social Benefits | Social Costs | Countries whose economy is mainly driven by tourism tend to have more social benefits than those heavily relying on other economic activities like agriculture and mining among others. This is because such countries are forced to heavily invest in social facilities so that they can attract more tourists and create a good brand name for their countries globally. There is no country that would like to be associated with mediocrity in terms of the social welfare of the citizens, and preventing this from happening would mean that they heavily invest in projects that would improve the social welfare of their citizens. In countries where they expect tourists to visit in large numbers, the quality of life of the local communities is usually improved since cultural and recreational facilities created for tourism are also used by local communities as well as domestic/ international visitors (Leary, 2008, p.59). In addition, public spaces are commonly developed and enhanced so as to promote tourism. Other social benefits enjoyed by the locals in the areas where tourism is the back bone of the economy include enhancement of local community esteem and improvement of the understanding and communication among peoples of diverse backgrounds. However, rapid tourism growth can be a major threat to social wellbeing of the local communities. It can result to inability of local amenities and institutions to meet service demands. Pollution/ littering, vandalism and crime are also major threats to the welfare of the locals and they are all accompanied by tourism development especially if proper planning and management was not done (Travis, 2011, p.63). Other major social threats to the local communities as a result of overdependence in tourism include the aspect of overcrowding and traffic congestion, disruption of traditional community ways of life thus leading to changes in community structures with regard to community bonds, demographics and institutions. This may lead to moral degradation especially if the state of economy of the local communities is poor (Shareef, Hoti and McAleer, 2008, p.104). A good example of this impact is the rise of prostitution and sex tourism in the developing countries like African states, and other countries like Thailand where young children engage in risky sexual behaviors with tourists in order to gain a living. Moreover, there is a tendency of the local communities particularly youths abandoning their traditions and emulating other cultures particularly western cultures that many associate with success. Cultural Benefits | Cultural Costs | Protection and conservation of culture is another major benefit that countries with tourism-dependent economies enjoy. Countries that highly depend on tourism focus on how they can protect local people’s cultures since they benefit tem highly. This can be viewed as a positive element because most cultures are under threat of getting eroded especially in the modern world where globalization is developing fast and dragging serious cultural issues along. When tourists visit an area, they study about the history and discover specialties and later share their experiences and feeling about it in their own countries and worldwide at large thus promoting that culture. This ultimately protects cultures and makes them passed on to the younger generations easily (Keller, Bieger and Association internationale dexperts scientifiques du tourisme, 2007, p.73). Countries highly depending on tourism heavily invest the revenues they collect from tourism towards preservation of cultures by engaging in activities like repairing historical places like historic buildings, archaeological sites, and districts. They also raise awareness of protecting cultures to the locals and the international communities by advertising. Despite criticism about the alteration of cultures to unacceptable levels, the sharing of cultural knowledge and experience can be beneficial for hosts and guests of tourism destinations and can result in the revival of local traditions and crafts (Heitmann, 2013, p.69). However, some people strongly oppose the claim that cultures can only be protected through tourism (Heitmann, 2013, p.78). A significant number of scholars argue that tourism leads to erosion of local cultures for profit, with a good example of this claim being in the undeveloped and the developing countries where environmental harms are getting worse in popular destinations. In such areas, locals are doing everything in order to maximize their gains from tourism irrespective of the price their communities or the environment will pay for their actions. In some situations, this has ended up harming environment and ruining cultures of many communities. Moreover, rapid tourism makes some essential cultural activities that were initially done occasionally and with a purpose turn out to be meaningless because they are done repeatedly to the tourists for profit making intentions. Other negative cultural effects of highly depending on tourism include emulation of other cultures by local youths and embracing tourists’ speech and attire, destruction/damaging of historic sites through tourism development and pressures as well as a long-term damage to cultural traditions. All these may lead to cultural changes that may be beyond a level acceptable to the host destination (International Monetary Fund Staff, 2009, p.129). Physical Environmental Benefits | Physical Environmental Costs | The main environmental benefits that countries depending on tourism as their main economic activity enjoy over the others include the aspect of preservation of the environment and wildlife. Parks and nature reservations may be created with ecological preservation being supported as a requirement for nature based tourism in countries where tourists visit in large numbers (Böhm, 2009, p.39). State governments in such countries also improve their methods of waste management and increase awareness and concern for the environment as a way of promoting nature-based tourism activities and development. The main negative effects of rapid tourist growth and dependency include the issue of causing negative changes in the physical integrity of the area. Rapid development, overdevelopment and overcrowding can forever change the physical environment and ecosystems of an area (Colantonio and Potter, 2006, p.229). In addition, degradation of parks, preserves and other attractions such as beaches may occur through over-use and poor management if proper measures are not taken swiftly to manage the situation. Finally, benefits for countries with tourism-dependent economies highly outweigh the negative effects caused by their dependence on tourism as the backbone of their economies. According to the above in-depth analysis about the pros and the cons of having tourism-dependent economies, it is obvious that the benefits are highly outweighing the demerits since most of the counter arguments raised are baseless and very weak. In all the four areas that this essay has analyzed (economic, social, cultural and environmental factors), there has not been pinpointed any strong counterargument that proves that dependency on tourism as the backbone of the economy is risky and unreliable. Therefore, there is no doubt that benefits for countries with tourism-dependent economies highly outweigh the negative effects. In conclusion, countries with tourism-dependent economies experience both negative and positive effects of tourism. Some of the main economic benefits that such countries enjoy include the aspect of job creation to the locals, promotion of domestic industries like hotels and other lodging facilities, transportation systems, handicrafts and guide services, generation of foreign exchange as well as improvement of road systems and infrastructure that contributes to the entire destination. Moreover, in-depth focus on tourism as the main economic activity for a country leads to enhancement of local communities’ self-esteem and provision of an opportunity for greater understanding and communication among peoples of diverse backgrounds. The main environmental benefits achieved as a result of in-depth focus on tourism as the main economic activity for a country include preservation of parks and nature, improvement of waste management and increased awareness and concern for the environment prompted by nature-based tourism activities and development. The main negative impacts of heavily depending on tourism as the backbone of the economy include the degradation of parks, preserves and other attractions like beaches because of over-use and poor management, erosion of culture and increase in the rate of crime among other mild consequences. With this analysis, it is therefore clear that the benefits accrued in countries with tourism-dependent economies highly outweigh the negative effects. Bibliography Böhm, K., 2009, Social and cultural impacts of tourism: A holistic management approach for sustainable development, VDM Verlag Dr. Mul̈ler, Saarbruc̈ken, Germany. Codrington, S. (2005). Planet geography, Solid Star Press, Sydney. Colantonio, A., & Potter, R. B., 2006, Urban tourism and development in the socialist state: Havana during the "special period", Ashgate,Aldershot [u.a. Dwyer, L., & Forsyth, P., 2006, International Handbook on the Economics of Tourism, Edward Elgar, Pub Cheltenham. 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