Tourism. Trends*Importance*Effects*Eco-Tourism

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1 Tourism Trends*Importance*Effects*Eco-Tourism

2 What is tourism? Tourism is the business of providing tours and services for tourists. Tourism is a service industry (tertiary)

3 Growth in Tourism There are many factors that help explain the growth in tourism: More affluence - since 1950 people have become more wealthy. There is more disposable income. People also now have paid time off work for holidays. Greater awareness - through advertising or television programmes people are more aware of how and where they can spend their free time. More car ownership - more families own a car. This gives greater freedom to choose when and where to spend time. Improvements in technology - travelling today is much quicker. Motorways and aircraft have helped reduce the time it takes to get to different countries. Travelling by air has become more accessible as you can book on line and choose more budget options. More leisure time - people have paid holidays from work (on average three weeks per year are paid). Also people who are retired remain active for longer. There is also a trend to take more than one holiday in a year. More choice - in the past seaside holidays and package holidays were the most popular. The industry is seeing more people look at ecotourism and more unusual holiday destinations.

4 MEDCs The tourist industry in MEDCs has grown significantly over the last 50 years. People are taking longer holidays, are travelling more frequently and travelling to destinations further away. There are a number of reasons for this. These include: increase in income the introduction of holiday pay developments in transport people have more holiday time from work cheap flights from budget airlines the growth of tourism has had a positive effect on income and development in many countries therefore tourism is actively encouraged changes in lifestyle and interests mean people are more interested in travelling to more exotic and unusual destinations.

5 Tourist HoneyPot! Tourist Honeypots are areas which attract many tourists. They usually contain attractive scenery or historic/culturally significant buildings. These areas are so called because tourists flock to these places like 'bees around honey'.

6 Tourism - Effects Advantages Foreign currency spent by tourists can be invested in improving local education, health and other services. Jobs for local people are created and people can learn new skills in tourism services. Construction creates jobs and develops skills for local people. Local infrastructure is improved as water and sanitation facilities, roads, buses, taxis and airports are provided for tourists. Visitors get an insight into local customs and traditions. Tourists see beautiful landscapes, wildlife and plants. They can also be educated about the dangers to fragile ecosystems in the modern world. Tourism provides employment and income for local people. People choose to stay in the area, which maintains other essential services such as schools and hospitals. Services provided for the use of tourists - eg leisure facilities - also benefit local people.

7 Tourism Effects Problems Profits go to foreign companies, such as tour operators and hotel chains, rather than to the local community. Foreign companies may bring foreign workers to do the skilled jobs; so local people only do low skilled, poorly paid work. House prices rise when foreign companies and investors buy property for hotels and holiday homes. This often makes houses too expensive for locals. Important projects for local communities might be sidelined as infrastructure developments are focused on tourists. If the aim of activities is to entertain, rather than educate tourists, this may belittle the local people. Pollution and disruption to wildlife habitats could occur if tourism isn't sustainable. Employment can be seasonal and wages low. House prices in the area can rise due to a demand for second homes. School leavers often look for work in larger settlements due to low wages and high house prices. This causes rural depopulation. Local shops on the margins of profitability often close to make way for more profitable gift shops and tea rooms. This leaves local people without essential services, eg butchers and greengrocers. Traffic causes pollution and narrow roads can become congested in high season. Large numbers of hikers cause footpath erosion, which is expensive to repair. Watersports cause erosion of lake shores and there can be conflicts of interests between different lake users.

8 EcoTourism Ecotourism is responsible travel to natural areas supporting the fauna, flora, and local economy. It is sustainable tourism. It is sensitive to the environment, local culture and traditions and benefits humans living in the surrounding area. Ecotourism, also known as ecological tourism, is responsible travel to fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas that strives to be low-impact and (often) small-scale. It helps educate the traveler; provides funds for conservation; directly benefits the economic development and political empowerment of local communities; and fosters respect for different cultures and for human rights.take only memories and leave only footprints is a very common slogan in protected areas.[44] Tourist destinations are shifting to low carbon emissions following the trend of visitors more focused in being environmentally responsible adopting a sustainable behaviour.[45] Ecotourism encourages visitors to a country to leave a small carbon footprint, to the benefit of local communities and environments. It has become an increasingly popular option for many people.

9 EcoTourism- contd. Ecotourism is a type of sustainable development. The aim of ecotourism is to reduce the impact that tourism has on naturally beautiful environments.any tourist destination can be harmed by increased levels of tourism. If areas are damaged or destroyed, they might not be available to future generations. The ecotourism approach Ensuring that tourism does not exploit the natural environment or local communities. Consultation with local communities on planned developments. Making sure that infrastructure improvements benefit local people and not just tourists. Ecotourism now has the backing of the United Nations, which made 2002 the "International Year of Ecotourism"

10 Guidelines for EcoTourists Ecotourism sets out guidelines for how tourists should behave when visiting fragile environments: Protect the environment - keep to footpaths, don't leave litter or start fires. Don't interfere with wildlife - don't scare or feed the animals. Protect resources - don't take too many showers or use air conditioning. Support local communities - stay in locally owned accommodation and buy produce from local people. Eat local food and drink - avoid products that have been imported from MEDCs. Respect local customs and traditions - some communities are offended when tourists wear inappropriate clothes in religious places, strip off on the beach or behave in a rowdy manner. Locals appreciate tourists who try to learn the language and show an interest in their culture. Ecotourism is increasingly popular and many people appreciate remote locations, small numbers of tourists and less sophisticated facilities. If a resort becomes overdeveloped then they will choose alternative destinations.

11 Eco Tourism in Kenya The Kimana Project Three quarters of wildlife in Kenya can be found outside of the National Parks. A large amount of the land outside of Kenya's National Parks is owned by the Masai Mara. Three tented camps have been set up on Masai land in Kimana, located between the migration route from the Amboseli and Tsavo National Parks and is run by local people. They pay the Masai rent for the use of their land.