Sustainable Development in Tourism (Article Sample)

Sustainable Development in Tourism
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Abstract
The tourism has grown up fast as an important source of income for many countries. International Tourism forms a large portion of the sources of foreign revenue. While the growth of the industry has brought important economic benefits, it has detrimental environmental and sociocultural effects. Sustainable tourism aims at having a lower impact on the local culture and environment. The objective of the concept id to benefit the local communities. Despite being a new concept, it is making headlines in various parts of the globe. The key players should come up with new and improved ways of making the sector sustainable enough.
Introduction
Juarez et al. (2006) argue that Tourism has become one of the fastest growing phenomena and one of the largest industries globally (p. 2). The impact that tourism has had on the society has not gone unnoticed. It has played a crucial role and positively impacted the political and social-economic status in the countries affected especially by creating new jobs and acting as a source of foreign revenue. It has increased the intercultural understanding by creating awareness and hence people can respect other cultures. However, it has some notable negative effects in the tourist destinations. Tourism has had some negative environmental impacts and the culture of the people who live in the tourist destinations. The negative impact of tourism on various sectors has brought out the need for sustainable development in the industry. The paper will shed light on the historical background, challenges facing the sector and how sustainability will help the industry.
Historical Background
Despite the Fact that tourism is a non-extractive sector, it has become a resource-dependent industry. Thuot, Vaugeois, & Maher (2010) explain that it depends upon the communities, natural surroundings and a steady supply of diverse products to create a memorable experience for the tourists (p. 78). When tourism became acknowledged as an industry, professionals advocated tourism agendas because of the large economic impacts of the sector without looking at the future impact that it would have had on their cultures and the environment. As tourism grew, it emerged that the newfound resource could be unsustainable.
Thuot, Vaugeois, & Maher (2010) argue that as countries sought to mint as much as they could from the industry, a tendency to have a large concentration of people in some of the sensitive ecosystems came up (p. 78). Furthermore, they placed a population boom on various local communities without setting up the infrastructure that would handle the emerging populations. The industry has also become a substantial consumer of fossil fuel. The early 1970s witnessed the introduction of basic principles that would be used in an attempt to control the ever growing industry. The key industry players sought methods that tourism could be sustainable without forfeiting the positive economic gains.
Environmental Impacts of Tourism
The concept of sustainable tourism arose when it was realized that the earth’s resources are limited and may not be enough to support rapid industrial growth and huge populations of not used appropriately. Yazdi (2012) argues that every nation intends to reduce poverty and to improve the standards of living substantially, but it should not be done at the expense of the environment (p. 51). An overwhelming majority of tourists prefer to visit places that are clean, functional, attractive and not polluted. Tourism has therefore provided the incentive and need for sustaining and improving the environment. A healthy environment is not only beneficial to tourists but also to the local people. Tourism can be a means of educating people about the need for a quality environment.
Yazdi (2012) argues that the rapid expansion of the tourism industry has also been responsible for the negative environmental and sociocultural problems associated with it (p. 51). It has been linked to the depletion of natural resources and environmental degradation that has become prone in the regions that receive large numbers of tourists. Resources such as basic raw materials, food and energy suffer the risk of depletion because the same resources are also consumed by the local population. Other resources that face developmental risks include freshwater, marine, and land resources.
Tourism consumes a very large amount of natural resources and also produces a notable amount pollution and waste. Yazdi (2012) states that the waste products if not properly disposed of, they become a very serious health concern issue especially for developing countries (p. 51). Developing countries face such an issue because they lack the effective capacity to deal with such a huge influx of waste products. When the waste products are not handled in a proper manner, they may damage the ecosystem. Intense tourism may also affect fragile vegetation and the wildlife. Pollution should be addressed otherwise it may cause irreversible damage to the respective ecosystems.
Yazdi (2012) explains that unsustainable tourism is also a risk to the industry itself (p. 51). Various fragile ecosystems, small islands, mountainous regions and coastal areas that receive tourists frequently face the negative impacts of unsustainable tourism. If the key tourist attraction sites are depleted, the number of tourists will reduce tremendously.
Economic Impacts of Tourism
The economic benefits of the sector have been the main driving force behind the tourism industry boom in the last three decades. The initial growth period of the industry took place in the early 1970s. Aall (2014) explains that tourism was identified as an economic activity aimed at generating foreign revenue and increasing employment by respectable developmental institutions such as the World Bank (p. 2562). Irrespective of all the negative facts associated with the industry, the travel demands, and tourism continues to grow. There are opportunities that are yet to be utilized by communities and entrepreneurs that reside in the tourist destinations. It has also opened various opportunities at the macro level for the economies of the respective countries.
Tourism has come up as one of the main sources of income for island countries or has very many islands. Tourism has also contributed significantly to the economic growth of such countries. Sidali et al. (2013) explain that there have also been benefits that have come up when equipment and food are imported for the tourists (p. 2). A large number of the local communities have received employment due to tourism activities. The industry is labor-intensive, and therefore investment returns in tourism have a tendency to generate increased employment opportunities.
Sustainable Tourism and Social-cultural Impacts
The sustainable development is very important because the sector depends highly on tourist attraction activities and sites that are linked to the natural environment. They also depend upon the cultural heritage of the local population. Yazdi (2012) states that if the natural resources or cultural heritage is destroyed, tourism activities in that area will collapse (p. 52).
To attain sustainable development in the industry, the local population must be involved. If the community is involved, the success of the sustainability development plan becomes achievable. The local populations can receive an awareness of the benefits of tourism. Yazdi (2012) explains that the younger generations are usually more receptive to tourism as compared to the olde...