Idea of Mass Tourism among Many Tourists - Coursework Example

Tourism and Conservation University’s Name Submitted by Names: Tutor: Date: Tourism and Conservation Tourism is among the industries that are experiencing tremendous growth currently. Since the times of baby boomers, tourism has had an upper hand in development and the situation gets better every day. Currently around the globe, everybody is taking part in tourism activities in one way or the other. The need for travel, sightseeing and social bonding continue to grow as the economy improves. Today, people have a lot of disposable income, time for travel and thriving desires to connect with others. Technological advancements have led to reduced human contact among people. It is not mandatory for a person to travel from one place to another just to see a friend or attend a business meeting. Technology has solved these matters where communication via social Medias is the order of the day (Buckley, 2010: 67). Video charting has made it look even more real. Family member, say parents, can get in touch with their loved ones in a more realistic way regardless of the distance between them. Even with all these, truth remains that human beings are social beings and cannot survive without each other. This explains the idea of mass tourism among many tourists. Group travel helps satisfy social needs of individuals. Today, people do not engage in tourism activities just for world experience because if anything, all these things can be seen through the internet. The monument, big five and the most interesting things that would make someone travel long distances are now available via the media. Television programs that show the real interaction of animals in a real world are increasing day after another. In addition, great natural features can be clearly seen via the internet where images are put in a 3D dimension making their view better. Other than social bonding, another factor that has led to increased need for travel is the desire for cultural exchange (Buckley, 2010: 98). Globalization has led to the exposure of human cultural differences; therefore, people are becoming more interested in understanding other people cultural for mutual coexistence. Tourism has been beneficial enough especially among the developing nations in many ways. Third world nations are depending on tourism for growth and development. Research shows that, in most of these nations, tourism industry gives to the economy more than any other industry can provide. Most developing nations are endowed with great natural resources that can bring these nations to higher heights if well managed. The most interesting thing is these treasures have been discovered, and governments are doing as much as they can to see proper utilization of such resources. Consequently, tourism is known for enhancing community development and welfare (Keiter, 2013: 121). Tourism activities take place within a community; therefore, much of what is earned goes back to the community for development. Communities living near tourist sites are more developed in relation to those far away. In fact, community based tourism is taking root faster today where sites are owned and managed by the community for the community. On the other hand, tourism is associated with many conservation and sustainability issues. First, tourism activities cannot happen in a vacuum they occur in an environment. Research has shown that tourism and the environment are two inseparable entities where one cannot survive without the other. There has been a constant fight between conservationist and the tourism industries on boundaries in operations. Eco-tourism in one way or the other has helped lessen the tension between these two groups, but much is yet to be done. Today, every tourism activity is branded sustainable tourism, but negative impacts continue to encompass these operations (Keiter, 2013: 230). Challenges of balancing tourism and conservation will continue to mount as the industry grows. On the other hand, matters of conservation are becoming key as days go by. After tourism became an issue of global concern, it raised the need for conservationists to ensure that natural and cultural beauty does not get lost at the expense of economic development. Among national parks, managing tourism and conservation has been a difficult task. Pallas-Ounastunturi is one of the most renowned parks in Finland that receives many visitors within a year. Conservation in this area has been quite difficult with increased numbers of hiking people (Maxted, 2012: 211). Growth in tourism means increased numbers of tourists and tourist activities. If an environment receives much that it can handle at a given time, degradation occurs. Massive movements within national parks lead to many harmful effects both to the natural environment and to the wild animals. Vegetation is what keeps the beauty of a park and has to be taken care of at all cost. Although, in most protected areas, there are designed paths that tourists are allowed to use, on most cases, people trample on the vegetation in the efforts to capture a clear view of say an animal. In the case of Ounastunturi, hikers’ paths often enlarge to cover larger parts hence destroying vegetation. This has raised concerns with environmental conservationist. Reducing the number of tourists visiting this park means a reduction of revenue gained from the park, while allowing this trend of massive movement to continue will lead to degraded environment. This is a very confusing situation for both the conservationist and the tourism industry. Such situations call for informed decisions that will not harm either of the side (Maxted, 2012: 67). First, the tourism industry should understand that if the environment were not attractive enough the tourists would leave eventually. On the other hand, if too many restrictions are employed, it will affect the financial assistance gained from tourist activities. In most parks in Finland, tourism and the environment exist in a symbiotic manner, where the tourism industry earns money from the natural environment and uses the same to upgrade and conserve the environment. Modern tourism poses another challenge to balancing tourism and conservation. As opposed to traditional tourism where people dependent on the nature for everything while on a safari, modern tourists want to feel at home even when they are in a tour. This has led to construction of hotels and other infrastructural and superstructure developments within the parks. Modern tourism is earning the industry much, therefore, cannot be overlooked. On the other hand, these hotels and paths take much of the park leaving a little space for both flora and fauna. In addition, waste from hotels degrades the environment hence affecting the survival of animals and vegetation. Tourism cannot survive without these animals and vegetation; therefore, it puts both parties in a difficult situation. The construction process has been reported to scare away animals leading to poor growth levels. Most animals cannot breed in difficult situations or in environments habited by human beings (Tisdell & Wilson, 2012: 215). Construction of these facilities takes a long time, therefore, leading to poor breeding. Prolonged effects can lead to extinction of certain species a situation that will bring negative effects to both the tourism industry and conservation. Modern tourism encourages wild hunting and fishing within parks. Conservation encourages sustainable ecosystem; however, uncontrolled hunting especially for the big five can lead to lose of business and value. Other than environmental conservation, tourism also affects cultural aspects around the parks. As mentioned earlier, parks exist within environments. For instance, Pallas-Ounastunturi exists within a community in northern Finland. As communities continue to interact with tourists, cultural exchange happens leading to compromised cultural authenticity. Conservation involves maintaining originality of not just the surrounding but also the people. In general, maintaining tourism and conservation is a hard task but it is possible (Tisdell & Wilson, 2012: 97). The concerned parties need to come together and see the most viable ways of coexistence in a symbiotic relationship other than a conflicting situation. For tourism to serve the economy and still maintain environmental and cultural integrity within national parks and in this case within Palls-Ounastunturi, clearly stated strategies need to be put in place. Sustainable tourism is that kind of tourism that is planned, controlled and integrated with economic, social and ecological activities. Tourism must serve all these areas to be effective enough. Economic development without the support of a stable society in terms of social and economic development cannot do much. Every development is made a success by integrating with the other areas; therefore, one development should not be overlooked or over emphasized at the expense of others (Henderson, 2010: 39). At Pallas-Ounastunturi, much has been done to manage the situation of tourism and conservation especially relating to environmental degradation resulting from enlarged hikers’ paths. Nevertheless, much can still be done to rectify the situation, not just for Ounastunturi, but also for all the parks around the globe. Many national parks especially in Africa are suffering the same predicament of managing tourism activities and conservation matters as Ounastunturi. Therefore, the strategies suggested in this paper are applicable to all protected areas especially national parks. One of the strategies that the tourism industry should embrace in trying to conserve the environment in which they operate is through financial contributions. Tourism can contribute directly to conservation matters where money paid as entry fee to the parks can be directing to conserving fragile areas. This way, tourism will not be seen as a threat to the ecosystem protection but a protector of the same. In addition, tourism can contribute towards the government in many ways like taxes, hunting and fishing fees (Henderson, 2010: 42). These finances can be used to protect the parks as well as payment for park rangers who help manage these ecosystems. The major reason why tourism facilities especially hotels poses dangers to the environment is lack of proper planning and management. Proper planning ensures that these facilities benefit the natural environment as opposed to the obvious mentally we possess. Tourism personnel should always plan for tourism development early in advance to avoid uncontrolled development. Superstructure and infrastructure can act to the betterment of the environment; however, uncontrolled or unplanned development of these facilities can lead to massive destruction of the natural environment. In addition, it is necessary that the tourism industry put together efforts to bring environmental awareness to people. Most people are ignorant of the relationship between tourism and the environment; hence do not understand why park rules must be obeyed especially concerning pathways. Tourism is an industry that is operated by people for people, therefore, has a greater chance of educating the public of the vitalities of keep the environment green (Henderson, 2010: 51). This can be enhanced by sustainable consumption where, as the tourists seek personal satisfaction they also take into consideration the needs of the next generation. Another move that can assist tourism achieve conservation is by providing alternative employment opportunities for the local people. This can be achieved through the development of learning institution, health care centres among other facilities where local people will not only benefit from such services, but also get employment opportunities. Research shows that protected areas with these facilities provide job opportunities to the locals hence reducing cases of poaching. In addition, benefits from these facilities can lead to embracing of conservation measures on the part of locals. Managing the local people is one way of ensuring that tourism especially wildlife tourism is going to stay long enough. Embracing regulatory measures can play well in protecting and preserving flora and fauna within national parks (Keiter, 2013: 159). The list can go on and on, but the main point is that something has to be done to balance tourism activities and conservation aspects. In conclusion, tourism is truly a major contributor of the worldly economy. Every industry has its challenges and for tourism, one area that needs much concern is the conservation aspect. However, tourism is not to blame for all the problems encountered within national parks. Therefore, keen analysis should be done before pointing fingers to the tourism industry. Sustainable tourism is a viable solution to this predicament if well integrated with other preventive measures (Maxted, 2012: 84). Both the tourism personnel and conservationists should reach a considerable agreement on how operations should be carried out in national parks without compromising the safety of one area. Bibliography Buckley, R 2010, Conservation tourism, CAB International, Wallingford, Oxford shire, UK Cambridge, MA. Henderson, J 2010, new visitor attractions in Singapore and sustainable destination development, worldwide hospitality and tourism themes, vol. 2. No. 3, pp. 37-54. Keiter, R 2013, To conserve unimpaired the evolution of the national park idea. Island Press, Washington, DC. Maxted, N 2012, Agrobiodiversity conservation securing the diversity of crop wild relatives and landraces, CABI, Wallingford, Oxford shire Cambridge, MA. Tisdell, C & Wilson, C 2012, Nature-based tourism and conservation new economic insights and case studies, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham. Read More