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SUSTAINABLE TOURISM: A Vehicle for Advancement

May 07, 2020 - 5:31 am
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM: A Vehicle for Advancement
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Tourism represents a significant development opportunity for many countries and communities. When managed well, it can leave a positive impact on the economical, socio, cultural, environmental, and political development of the destination. On the other hand, unchecked tourism development can lead to very damageable impacts on natural resources, consumption patterns, pollution, and social systems.

THE IMPACT

Global tourism is expected to continue to grow as a larger number of aspiring travelers become more prosperous and their disposable income increases. It is anticipated that the sector will outperform the global economy in the course of the next decade, increasing by an estimated 4% on average annually in the next 10 years.

Meanwhile, negative effects on the environment are inherent to the industry, such as the emission of greenhouse gases and waste generation, that are currently difficult, if not impossible, to avoid. Tourism can also contribute to water and energy shortages and ecosystem degradation.

In a snapshot, the following lists the specific impacts of the sector, reported by SustainingTourism:

TOURISM IMPACTS

  • International tourist arrivals have increased from 25 million globally in 1950, to 278 million in 1980, 527 million in 1995, and 1.32 billion in 2017. They are expected to reach 1.8 billion by 2030.
  • The average international tourist receipt is over the US $700 per person and travelers spent over $1.4 trillion.
  • Travel and tourism represent approximately 10% of total global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2016 (if it includes tourism related business (e.g. catering, cleaning) (the US $7 trillion).
  • The global travel and tourism industry creates approximately 11% of the world’s employment (direct & indirect) in 2016.

HUMAN IMPACTS

  • 10,000 people arrive in the Mayan Riviera every day – a destination where there is still no proper recycling.
  • The Western world (with 17% of the worlds’ population) currently consumes 52% of total global energy.
  • Half the world’s population lives in urban areas and this figure is expected to increase. In Latin America and the Caribbean, 76% of the population live in urban areas.
  • The number of cars on the road surpassed 1 billion in 2010. Today it is 1.2 billion and will be 2 billion by 2035.

CLIMATE & ATMOSPHERE IMPACTS

  • Buying local could achieve a 4-5% reduction in GHG emissions due to large sources of C02 and non-C02 emissions during the production of food. 1 acre of trees absorbs 2. 6tonnes of CO2 per year.
  • 2016 was the warmest year by a margin on record Seawater is expected to rise 70 cm in the next 10 years.
  • For every 1 degree rise in temperature above 34 degrees Celsius, yields of rice, maize, and wheat in tropical areas could drop by 10%.
  • Every year we dump 40 million tons of carbon pollution into our atmosphere.

THE NEED FOR SUSTAINABILITY

As more regions and countries develop their tourism industry, the need for sustainable planning and management is imperative for the industry to survive as a whole.

Sustainable tourism is a hot term nowadays. It seems like everyone is talking about it, reflecting a growing concern among today’s travelers for ethical and sustainable tourism options. People in general and travelers alike are becoming more aware of their actions and their consequences.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNTO) defines sustainable tourism as “Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social, and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities.”

WHAT CAN WE DO?

Tourism is a very complex industry involving numerous stakeholders (sometimes with opposite interests) and requiring a significant amount of resources. In achieving sustainability, the interests of all stakeholders including local communities, indigenous people, visitors, industry, and government must be taken into consideration. Strong political leadership is also required to ensure wide participation and consensus-building. Innovative thinking is needed from destination authorities and business leaders working together to determine how to manage growing visitor numbers, address changing traveler expectations, and shape and improve both visitor and host experiences.

Achieving sustainable tourism is a continuous process and it requires constant monitoring of impacts, introducing the necessary preventive and/or corrective measures, whenever necessary. This requires thinking long-term and realizing that change is often cumulative, gradual, and irreversible. 

Companies, destinations, and travelers need to be more aware of and be held accountable for their impact. They all have an important role to play to ensure that tourism lives up to its promise to improve people’s livelihoods and protect the environments they depend upon. Each player can contribute in making tourism as a vehicle for social, environmental, and economic advancement. 

ON A MICROSCALE: IT´S ALL ABOUT BECOMING A MORE RESPONSIBLE TRAVELER

On a smaller scale, travelers need to see the way they travel in a different way. They need to be thinking about the consequences of their actions and travel responsibly, choosing to have a greater positive impact on the places they travel to. Only then can they make a difference.

The big changes may need to come from the industry, yes, but as we all know business is driven by demand. This means that if consumers stop demanding what is bad for our planet and its inhabitants, the industry will slowly follow. We are already seeing a significant change in the industry with more and more eco-friendly, sustainable travel companies appearing, and we need to make sure we support them.

A FINAL WORD

Cumulative efforts will support science-based decision-making and help mitigate tourism’s negative effects. Furthermore, they can reduce the commoditization of the historic and beautiful places on which the tourism industry depends while providing more opportunities for travelers and tourism businesses. When travel and tourism activities are planned and executed with the impact on communities and commerce in mind, tourism as an industry can live up to its potential as a great catalyst for economic, social, and environmental prosperity.

responsible travel
sustainable tourism
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